Shadow of the Bat
by The Cowman
Summary: In which the Dark Knight meets the thief and both must fight against the rage of a tyrant and the infection of a madman.
1. A Dangling String

_--- Hey everyone. In an attempt to bury myself a little deeper, I'm startin' yet another story. This was inspired mainly by Classic Cowboy's Batman fusion, so check that out. Good stuff. Don't expect this one to go the same route though. I'm changin' things up a bit. As always, Batman and Kim Possible are NOT my property and I'm not makin' a cent on this. Enjoy._

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**Shadow of the Bat**

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**Chapter 1 - A Dangling String**

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There was a glow to the city all its own. Visible even during the day yet most breathtaking at night. Most would say it was just the streetlights and lit windows that made it shine, but those who lived there would say it was something more. A beacon of hope maybe, or perhaps just a small sign that magic wasn't completely gone from the world. The city of tomorrow; that's what it was called. Cutting edge technology infused every corner of it, almost giving it the feel of some "future world" exhibit at a fair.

However, even the brightest baubles have little flaws in them. Like the one that was slinking its way across the rooftops this very night. It darted from shadow to shadow, its dark shape briefly blotting out the lights it passed in front of. Finally it came to a stop atop one apartment building, crouching down to examine something in its hand.

Four diamonds fell from the small bag into the black gloved hand. Each one about three inches long and cut to resemble small eggs. They were rolled about in the hand for a few seconds, the facets catching what little light got to them, and were then returned to the bag. With an air of satisfaction, the black-clad woman slunk over to the edge and down the fire escape. Like many nights before, she entered through the window into her own apartment with her spoils for the night clutched firmly in her hand.

Something was different this night though. She sensed it almost as soon as she entered; someone else was here. Looking up slowly she caught sight of him a few feet away, lounging casually in her armchair reading a newspaper. The lights were still off leaving most of his upper half in shadow, though it was obvious from the position of the chair that he'd been waiting for her. To her credit she didn't show much surprise, but simply stood as relaxed as she could by the window, waiting to see just what this man wanted.

" 'High profile burglaries continue'," the man finally said, reading a headline from the paper he was holding. " 'Paul Williams Montgomery, eligible Metropolis socialite, reported the theft of his famous jeweled Egyptian cat-god sculpture early Saturday morning. This makes the seventh such burglary in the last three months by the unknown criminal who has been plaguing the wealthy of Metropolis. Each one characterized by the silent entry and exit; and by the message left behind at each scene by the thief. 'With thanks from the Catwoman''."

The man stopped reading, folding the paper in his lap and taking a cigarette from the inside pocket of his jacket. There was a soft click and the woman caught a brief glimpse of his face in the flickering light of a lighter.

"'Catwoman'," the man reiterated, taking a drag on his cigarette. "Bit theatrical, don't you think?"

"It's a theatrical town," she countered, keeping her tone as conversational as his. "You wanna make a name for yourself around here you gotta stand out."

The man chuckled softly, laying the paper on a nearby coffee table.

"Quite so," he agreed, seemingly amused by the conversation. "It does seem to have a certain air of adventure about it. Selina Goh; idle young money chaser by day and professional jewel thief by night. You seem to like to live dangerously, Miss Goh."

"It's worked up till now," Selina shrugged nonchalantly, though her brain was furiously trying to work things out. The man didn't seem like a cop or from the FBI. She hadn't stolen anything from any mob families lately so she guessed it wasn't an enforcer sent to 'give her a message'. But then how did he know her name.

"I'm sure you're wondering just what I'm doing here," he said, as though in answer to her thoughts.

"It did occur to me," she shot back sarcastically, walking slowly toward her drinks cabinet. She made sure to always keep one eye on the stranger even as she poured herself a glass of sherry. Taking a sip she gestured to the bottle in offering, but he only waved his hand in a polite refusal.

"To put it simply, Miss Goh, I wish to hire you. You would obtain some items of my choosing in exchange for 500,000 dollars. Half now and half upon completion." He spoke so evenly and business-like that Selina almost didn't register the payment amount. As it was she barely managed not to spit her drink when she heard it.

"Very generous indeed," she answered after a few seconds. "But why come to me? I don't do jobs for people. If you know who I am I'm sure you already know that."

"Yes, I am aware of that," he nodded. "That is precisely why you are perfect for the job. You see, there will be an element risk in obtaining these items and it is imperative that this risk is not focused on my employer."

"Your employer?" Selina raised an eyebrow at this new piece of information.

"Quite. I am just the go-between as it were. The middle man. I'm sure you understand the necessity for anonymity."

"I suppose so," she conceded with a nod of her head before falling silent for a minute or two as she thought everything over. "Alright, you got yourself a thief." Selina wasn't too happy about working for anyone, let alone someone she'd never seen. For that kind of money though, she was willing to take a chance. "So, just what is this 'risk' you were talking about Mr..."

"Wilson," he supplied, stepping forward a little. The moonlight from the window caught a little more of his face, allowing Selina to see the eye patch that covered one of his eyes. "Tell me, Miss Goh," he said after a moment's pause. "How much do you know about Gotham?"

"Gotham City?" she clarified, getting a confirming nod. "It's a cesspool. One of the highest crime rates in the world, rumors of police corruption as high as the District Attorney, so on and so forth. Basically not the ideal place to live."

"No, indeed not," he agreed, stubbing out his cigarette in the ashtray. "And what have you heard about the Bat?"

Selina almost laughed.

"Big, black demon that's supposed to prowl the rooftops and feed on those it catches. Can fly, melt into shadows and other tabloid crap," she gave a dismissive wave of her hand. "Always sounded like an urban legend to me."

Mr. Wilson gave a soft chuckle, reaching into his jacket to take out a packet of photographs. He dropped them on an endtable in front of Selina before going to stand by the window.

"Oh, it's no urban legend Miss Goh," he said smoothly, looking out at Metropolis as she picked up the packet. "He's quite real and quite a threat. I'm afraid much is still rumor and hearsay, but here are the facts that we have. He appears to only attack known criminals. He's brutal, but we haven't witnessed him kill anyone. There are rumors to the contrary of course, but as I said, these are only the confirmed facts. He's caused major problems for my employer lately and he would like to avoid any further confrontations at the moment."

As he spoke, Selina opened the packet, going through the photos inside. All were rather blurry and grainy, clearly taken from a long distance with a telescopic lens or stills from security videos. Each one had the same dark figure in it, usually in the middle of bludgeoning some unlucky criminal. She couldn't make out any details except for the pointed ears or horns on the top of his head. Everything else was covered by the large cloak he seemed to be wearing, the way it billowed out around him almost giving it the appearance of large bat-like wings.

"As you can see he's quite adept at keeping to the shadows," Wilson said after she'd gone through most of the pictures. "Those are the best shots we have of him and next to nothing is distinguishable. My employer has plans for the items you are to steal and it is essential that this 'Bat' doesn't learn of them or even know that my employer is involved in their thefts."

"So you intend to sic him on me instead," Selina grinned wryly, taking another sip from her drink.

"We've done our homework, Miss Goh," Wilson smiled back. "You are one of the best thieves available right now. If anyone can slip by him, it's you."

"Well, I do always love a challenge."

"And a challenge it will be, I assure you," he answered, walking back over to her. "Whoever he is, he is not like the 'guardian angel' of this city. So far you've kept off his radar by keeping your jobs small and scattered so he's overlooked you in favor of the larger problems. The Bat will NOT overlook you. I suggest the utmost care on this endeavor, Miss Goh. This man is not to be taken lightly."

"Don't worry Wilson," she grinned, her cocky attitude asserting itself in the face of a challenge. "I've got a few surprises of my own."

Mr. Wilson looked at her for a second before grinning. He took another envelope out of his jacket, handing it to her. Straightening his suit, he retrieved his paper and turned to leave.

"I'm sure you do Miss Goh. I'm sure you do."

With that he exited through the front door, leaving Selina alone once again. She tore open the envelope, taking out the contents and reading through it. A room had been reserved for her at one of the better hotels and an account set up in her name with the first half of her money in it. There was also a list of what she would be stealing and where they would be found.

"Welp," Selina sighed to herself, "cesspool, here I come." Setting the papers aside she stripped out of her tight black outfit and went to stand at the open window. She closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of the slight breeze on her skin. A trimmer of excitement ran through her as she thought about the upcoming job. The money had been a nice compensation, but the revelations concerning this 'Bat' character was what really sparked her anticipation.

Selina had always loved expensive things. She didn't sell a lot of the stuff she took, keeping much of it simply so she could own it. The sparkles from a diamond or the smooth curves of a sculpture; she loved it. However, the main draw of what she did was the thrill. The feeling of getting in and out without getting caught. To read the headlines the next day and know that she'd gotten away with it. That was her real addiction, and this 'Bat' looked to add a whole new dimension to that thrill.

Wilson had been as good as his word. The apartment was in the best part of town and was quite luxurious. Of course the ride there from the airport had only reinforced her labeling of the city as a "cesspool". The whole of Gotham seemed to have a layer of grime over it that wouldn't scrub off; the buildings jutting into the sky as though they themselves were trying to escape the place. Even the office buildings seemed to have a gothic quality to them and Selina half-expected to see gargoyles perched on the ledges, glaring down at her.

For now though she shoved all thoughts of Gotham from her mind as she collapsed onto the large, fluffy bed. A nap was the first priority on her list, and then she'd see to getting the layout of this city. She knew the geography of the place already, thanks to Wilson's maps and blueprints. No, she'd be feeling out the social layout; who's important, who's powerful and, most importantly, who's stupid.

Selina never held it against the wealthy if they were slightly air-headed. After all, that was one of reasons she was able to live like she did. She'd made quite a name for herself within the social hierarchy despite her dubious origins. Most knew her for what she was; a money chaser. She wasn't looking for marriage or love, just a few months of cars, shopping, jewelry; a trophy-girlfriend.

And most were fine with that. They'd take her to all the social functions and throw money away on her knowing she'd leave eventually. It was actually something of a bragging point for rich young men to compare how long she'd stuck around. The longer the time the greater the prestige. Selina took great pride in her status. After all, many in her position would have ended up shunned by society after the accident that had left her with the pale green complexion she now sported. But Selina had refused to hide away. She'd flaunted her "deformity" and turned it into something exotic; something to be intrigued over rather than disgusted.

Selina smiled to herself as she began to doze off on the bed. She'd never have admitted it, but she HAD been growing a little tired of the Metropolis crowd. It would be nice to have some fresh meat to play with. With a final contented sigh she snuggled deeper into her pillow and in seconds was fast asleep.

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_The darkness behind her eyes suddenly broke apart and rushed around her in a gust of leathery little wings. Flashes of a larger shape kept appearing through the swirling mass of little black things, the same shape but larger. The wings of the large shape flapped slower, kicking up a wind that swept Selina off her feet and sent her tumbling into the mass of fluttering black._

_She fell through empty air, swirling about as though blown by winds. No, not winds. Like she was sliding. Yes, a long slide with sudden dips that spun her around until it sent her tumbling onto the ground that was just as black as the air she'd fallen through._

_"Air can't have a color silly."_

_The voice came from nowhere. She looked for it, glancing up at the black flapping things that now glinted like glass. Little flapping shards of glass that fell from the sky; falling together to make a mirror right in front of her. Mirror-Selina smiled back at her, face painted white like a clown._

_"Silly rabbit."_

_The voice came from her reflection, but it wasn't hers. This voice was lower; a man's. Mirror-Selina seemed to find this funny for she started laughing, still with the man's voice. It started low and built to a full force guffaw. But this wasn't real laughter. It wasn't a happy sound. The laugh was twisted and strained, as though Mirror-Selina had no choice but to laugh. Like it was being ripped from her throat by invisible hands. Her reflection's eyes were wide open, tears leaking from them and down her face that was still twisted in a horrible mockery of a smile. Whether she was crying from mirth or despair, Selina could not tell. Suddenly her view was cut off, the large shape from before rearing up in front of her out of nothingness. Selina tried to scream, but the horrible laughter drowned her out. The dark shape bore down on her, large leathery wings sweeping up to engulf her, to consume her, to..._

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With a start Selina woke up, still sweating slightly from the dream. It took her a few seconds to remember where she was and what was going on. Finally pulling herself together she shook her head to dispel the leftover jittery feeling that was playing up and down her spine. A glance at the clock told her she'd been sleeping for about three hours.

"Okay," she sighed to herself, sitting up on the bed. "Just a stupid dream. Get up and do some work."

Soon she was seated on the couch, drink in hand as she read through that day's paper. She skipped over the murder and theft reports, focusing on articles about charity balls and the political figures. A few Google cross-checks later and Selina had herself a working "Who's Who" list of Gotham City.

Of course one name she didn't even have to check up on. Everyone knew the name of the richest woman in Gotham and one of the richest in the world. Kimberly Ann Possible. Probably one of the most covered news stories since O.J. Kimberly Possible, wiz kid daughter to Doctors James and Anne Possible, husband and wife founders of Possible Industries. Formerly a small medical company, now a huge business that dabbled in everything from weapons to windmills. The family was riding high until the tragic deaths of the two parents. The company floundered, but recovered. Little Kimberly didn't seem to be as lucky. The once bright star of the Possible legacy seemed to blink out overnight, none of the grand expectations for her ever coming to pass. Now she was little more than a trendier Paris Hilton. A regular in the papers for incident after incident and the butt of the joke for many a late night talk show host.

'Pretty though,' Selina thought to herself as she examined the photo of the wealthy red-head. She wasn't sure what it was, but something about the woman seemed different than the other society bimbos that Selina was used to dealing with. Not quite as airbrushed maybe; less phony looking. She couldn't really put her finger on it.

Shrugging it off Selina checked Wilson's list of locations again. One of the items was going to be on display at the Gotham Museum of Art this week. This stirred a thought in the thief and she began flipping back through the newspaper looking for an article she'd seen. Sure enough, there was the announcement of a party for all the well-to-do of Gotham right there in the museum.

"Besides raising donations for the museum, this gathering will also introduce its newest exhibits. Several archaeological discoveries brought back by noted historian and scientist, Victor Lipsky Drakken from his latest expedition."

Selina didn't bother reading any more of the article. This would be a perfect opportunity to scout out the museum a little from the inside and have a little fun while doing it. After all, she'd been thinking of sticking around Gotham for a little while after the job was done to play around amidst the city's elite. She might as well get a head start.

Checking the clock Selina stood up to get ready to go out. She had just enough time for and evening of hard shopping to prepare for the party tomorrow. Getting in wouldn't be a problem. If she couldn't charm herself an invitation it would be child's play to slip in past the security. Riding down the elevator to the lobby, Selina left the building, pausing a moment to look around at the city. With dusk just creeping over Gotham and the streetlights casting deformed shadows on the walls and sidewalks, it actually wasn't too hard to imagine a giant bat-monster stalking about the rooftops.

Selina shook her head, chastising herself for letting her imagination run away with her. Hailing a taxi she headed off for the shops. High above the street a dark figure paused briefly to look down at the departing cab, and then in a swirl of its black cloak, was gone.

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_To be continued..._

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_--- Well, hope I've sparked some interest. I'll try to get the next chapter up soon._


	2. A Game of Cat and Mouse

_Hey. Many many apologies for taking so long to update. I got distracted for awhile and then my computer died. I'm currently writing on Yahoo notepad on any other computer I can use, so this chapter was delayed a bit. Hopefully my computer will be fixed soon so I'll try to do better next time._

_As always, Kim Possible and Batman are not mine and all that jazz._

_Words in -- -- are translated from Japanese because I'm too lazy to actually write it out that way._

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**The Shadow of the Bat**

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Chapter 2 - A Game of Cat and Mouse

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**Japan: Two Weeks Ago**

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_The school had been there for centuries, always hidden, always watching. Tucked away on top of a mountain that few even bothered to acknowledge. There was a time when students of the school were revered in the outside world. Respected for their exceptional skills as well as the mission they had pledged to fulfill. However, that was in the past. Now the students walked amidst society unseen and unknown, their mission lost to common knowledge long ago. They continued to honor their pledge though, each new generation taking over for their predecessors. Difficult times had come and gone with disasters threatening to undo their centuries of work, but each time they had managed to succeed. Now another dark time was coming. One that promised to change the school forever._

_A young girl sat quietly on the floor of the shrine, located in the middle of the school grounds. Her legs were folded neatly under her and her head was bowed in meditation. Before her was the object of the school's focus; the relic they had protected for longer than anyone could remember. Soon it would be entrusted to her care and she alone would be responsible for ensuring the final step of its journey. It was that hefty responsibility that had her here now, meditating on what would surely be the greatest test of her skills to date. A wrinkled hand came to rest on her shoulder and she pulled herself from her meditative state, but did not yet open her eyes._

_--"You are prepared, child?"--_

_--"As prepared as I ever will be, Sensei,"-- the girl answered the old school master. --"I must admit that doubt in your decision still plagues my mind."-- _

_The old man chuckled warmly, giving her shoulder a pat before walking around her to stand before the relic. The girl finally opened her eyes to look at her master; his bald head, long white beard and orange robes that always seemed comically large for him._

_--"You are the most skilled student here, Yori,"-- the Sensei told her as he carefully lifted the relic from its place. --"If any of us are worthy of this burden, it is you."-- He reverently set the object inside a black traveling case, closing the lid and locking it before turning back to his student. --"Failure is always a possibility, child. But you must not allow that possibility to dictate your actions. Simply remember your training and trust in your skill and you will have nothing to fear." --_

_--"I will remember Sensei,"-- Yori stood, bowing to the old master as he handed her the black case. The preparations for her journey had all been made early yesterday, so all there was left to do was retrieve the bags from her room and go. A helicopter was waiting for her a short distance from the school, the spinning blades kicking up snow and wind as the engine started. With her bags loaded and the long, black case still in her hands, Yori bowed once more to the old man._

_--"I will not fail you,"-- she said, all doubt now replaced with determination. The Sensei smiled back at her and returned the gesture. As the helicopter lifted into the sky, however, the old man's smile faded._

_--"No child, you shall not fail,"-- he murmured sadly to the sky as the machine bearing his student shrunk into the distance. --"But you WILL fall. And for that, I beg your forgiveness."--_

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**Gotham City: The Present**

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Getting into the charity ball had ended up being even easier than Selina had thought. Dressed in a respectable, but quite stunning black dress, she had walked up the steps to the museum ready to convince the doorman to admit her. However, before she could even begin, someone called her name and she smiled to see an old acquaintance. Bertie was a wealthy young man she'd spent some time with in New York. Sweet, kind and rather vapid, he had a genuinely friendly manner that seemed to endear him to almost everyone.

Bertie had been one of her favorite 'marks', even though she hadn't gotten all that much out of him. Oh they went to expensive dinners and he gave her some lovely gifts to be sure, but nowhere near her usual draw. Selina still wasn't sure how, but she strongly suspected that his valet was behind it all. Where Bertie was oblivious, his manservant seemed quite sharp; those dark eyes of his always seeming to know more than he let on.

Still, she had enjoyed herself immensely while they were together, and Bertie was one of the only ones to still keep up contact with her after she'd gone. Inviting her to parties or out for a friendly drink whenever he heard she was in town. And now here he was walking up the steps of the museum toward her; a proverbial gift from above. With Bertie as an escort, she gained admittance without a hitch and was soon inside the main hall. She made some excuse to Bertie who simply smiled brightly and told her to be sure and save him a dance.

Selina wandered around the large room for awhile taking it all in. The whole set-up was certainly impressive. A large Grecian statue stood in the center of the hall with two smaller Egyptian sculptures about 20 feet away on either side of it. Glass cases and displays lined the walls while paintings and tapestries hung from the walls and ceilings. A display at one end of the long room was closed off with a curtain and contained, she was sure, the new artifacts of Dr. Victor Drakken.

"Curiosity getting the best of you?" The sudden voice from behind her startled Selina a bit. Turning around she found a young man smiling up at her from a rather expensive looking wheelchair. "Sorry," the man said, his smile turning a little sheepish, "didn't mean to sneak up on you, but I couldn't help but notice you checking out the display."

"Well, it IS a little hard not to fantasize," Selina grinned back, motioning to the ornate curtains blocking off the exhibit. "Seems like a pretty big deal, whatever it is."

The man laughed a little, wheeling himself forward a bit till he was at her side, also looking at the curtains.

"Yeah, Victor's a bit of a showman. He loves making these things as dramatic as he can." He shook his head in an amused manner. "Oh, Felix Renton by the way," he added, holding out a hand in greeting.

"Selina Goh," Selina answered, shaking the offered hand with a smile.

"Don't think I've seen you around here before. New in town?" Felix asked conversationally. Selina nodded.

"Just got in yesterday. Thought I'd see the sights as it were."

Felix laughed a bit at this, his tone taking on a bit of wry humor.

"See the sights, huh?" he chuckled. "I think you're in the wrong city Miss Goh. The only 'sights' around here are the kind you see on the news and have to be edited for content."

"So I've heard," Selina smirked back. "But there's this, isn't there?" She motioned to the curtained exhibit. "And not all 'sights' are places after all."

Felix followed her pointed look over to a small crowd of people, in the middle of which was a head of flaming red hair.

"Ah yes," he said, turning his wheelchair a bit to better see the new point of interest. "Gotham's most famous daughter. She IS quite a spectacle, isn't she. At least she does her best to be." Selina thought she caught a hint of sadness or regret in the man's voice, but decided not to mention it.

"Who's the beefcake she's hanging on?"

"Brick Flagg," Felix answered, switching his gaze to the large blonde man that was currently arm in arm with Kim Possible. "Local football hero. Kim's had him out a few times."

"'Had him out'?" Selina raised an eyebrow. "Makes him sound like a new car or something."

"That's actually a more apt description than you think," Felix chuckled. "Kim Possible isn't known for her emotional stability. It's always the same; she'll start seeing someone, trot around with him for awhile and then simply drop him when she gets bored."

"Not a very nice person, huh," Selina grinned, following Felix when he motioned that he was going for another drink.

"She used to be," the man replied a little wistfully, pushing his chair at a casual pace as Selina strolled along beside him. "And she's not exactly cruel. Just... insensitive."

"She a friend of yours?" Selina asked, catching his tone of voice.

"As much as she's friends with anybody now-a-days. We used to be pretty tight when we were kids, but things got pretty tough on her for awhile and we sorta drifted apart after that."

"You mean her parents?" Selina kept her eyes on the girl as she asked.

"... That's where it started."

The statement sent her curiosity spiking and she almost asked for Felix to go into specifics. However, a new arrival at the door interrupted any further questions.

"Another one of Gotham's 'sights'," Felix grinned, glad for a change of subject. "Lord Montgomery Fiske. Real life English lord. Moved to Gotham a couple years ago."

"And what's his claim to fame," Selina wondered, sipping at her glass of champagne.

"Well, if you believe the official version he's a self-made billionaire, a bit reclusive and an art collector."

"And the unofficial version?" Selina cocked an eyebrow. Felix gave a half-smile.

"High-up mob boss, criminal past, government contacts and influence," Felix shrugged. "If you were to believe the rumors, Lord Fiske is connected to over half the crimes committed in Gotham." The man paused to take a drink before continuing. "Of course that's all they are; rumors. People come up with all kinds of stuff that way. Heck, I've even heard tales about him being some crazy mad scientist cooking up monsters in his mansion, or even rumors that he's actually the Bat."

"Ah, Gotham's famous boogie-man," Selina smirked. "Is that all rumors as well or is there really something to it?"

"Well, I've never seen him myself of course," Felix answered, turning his eyes from Fiske back to Selina. "There's been lots of sightings though. I find it a little hard to believe that SO many people could be mistaken. Mass hysteria or no."

Selina nodded thoughtfully, looking up when a round of applause started rippling around the room. It seemed to be directed at the entrance of a rather bookish looking man wearing an out-of-date suit and a bit of a scowl. His thinning hair was pulled back into a small ponytail and a scar ran down one side of his face.

"The man himself," Felix grinned, looking toward the new arrival.

"Victor Drakken I gather," Selina said, slightly amused at the scientist's seeming annoyance at the crowd of people around him.

"In the flesh. The knockout on his arm is his wife, Vivian Drakken. Don't let her looks fool you though, she's probably smarter than Victor." Felix set aside his glass and straightened his bow tie. "Well, if you'll excuse me I've got to go play host. I helped set up this little party for Victor and if I don't go tell him how great it's going quickly he'll start to get nervous."

Selina gave him a friendly wave as he rolled off toward the two scientists. The rest of the room was currently focused on the main door and Selina took the chance to slip away unnoticed and duck behind the curtain obscuring Dr. Drakken's exhibit. She slipped quietly through the collection of glass cases, looking through their contents as well as any security devices that were on them.

The piece she was looking for stood near the center of the exhibit. It was a simple wooden carving about a foot high and cylindrical in shape, the carved features limited to relief carving like that of a totem pole. The thing was rather crude in appearance and Selina wasn't sure if it was supposed to represent a person or some kind of ape. The case seemed to be the usual museum affair with the usual locks and alarms. Nothing she hadn't tackled before.

She was just finishing up her examination of the case when a large tapestry hung across the back of the exhibit caught her eye. Selina wasn't much of a history buff, but the sheer size of the thing grabbed her attention. The edges were adorned with what seemed to be dancing monkeys while several different scenes played out in the center. One showed a man holding a green star that looked to have fallen out of the sky. Another showed the man pounding the star with a blacksmith's hammer over a forge. Yet another depicted him cutting into a mountain with a sword. They were rather simple designs, but something about them held her gaze.

"Couldn't wait for the unveiling huh?" Selina spun around in surprise. This was the second time today someone had snuck up on her. Maybe she was getting out of practice.

"Well, with all the hype around this stuff my curiosity got the best of me," Selina replied casually, putting on her best 'innocent-yet-mischievous' smirk. She had expected some museum official or something, so was rather surprised when the person standing behind her turned out to be none other than Kimberly Possible.

"Yes, there's always a big to-do whenever Victor and Vivian come back from one of their little jaunts," the red-head grinned back, leaning against one of the stone pillars that stood on either side of the exhibit. "Frankly it all looks rather boring to me, but any excuse for a party, huh?" She raised her champagne glass in a mock toast.

"Any excuse for a party," Selina agreed with a smirk, eying the other woman curiously. The two of them simply stared at each other for a few minutes, Selina becoming more and more uncomfortable under the red-head's scrutiny. Possible's green eyes seemed to cut right into her, leaving the thief feeling like something in a test tube or maybe a bull being sized up by a matador.

"So, you're the infamous Selina Goh," Kim finally spoke, breaking the silence.

"My reputation precedes me, does it?" Selina's voice came out a little curt, her uncomfortable feelings turning into frustration. SHE was usually the one to make OTHER people uncomfortable, but this woman had turned the tables on her and that was causing her temper to flare.

"Well, I know Bertie you see," Kim smiled sweetly. "He couldn't stop talking about you while you two were dating and then the first thing he tells me when I see him tonight is that 'she's here and you HAVE to meet her'." She smirked, mimicking Bertie's British accent.

"And now that you have?" the thief smiled coyly, easing her discomfort by falling back into her usual role as the 'playful femme fatale'.

"Honestly, from the way he was talking, I was expecting an eight foot tall amazon or something," Kim answered, walking over nearer to the other woman.

"Well," Selina shrugged, "chain-mail tends to chafe."

"Does it now," the billionaire murmured, looking the brunette up and down. The close scrutiny lasted only a second or two before she turned away again. "So tell me; what brings you to Gotham? I thought Metropolis was your usual... street corner."

The semi-playful atmosphere shattered instantly. Selina's teeth ground together as she clinched her fists hard enough that her nails began to break the skin. It took all she had not to take a swing at Possible's head, the thinly veiled insult sending her temper flaring off the scale.

"Felt like a change of scenery," she answered as calmly as she could, though coming through clenched teeth, it didn't work too well.

The sudden hostility hung heavily in the air. Selina was used to insults; many a society bimbo had thrown a tantrum at her for stealing their date. Those had always involved high-pitched shrieks and swearing. Something about the calmly-presented barb from Possible had cut through all her well-built defenses and left her seeing red. The way the billionaire wasn't even looking at her didn't help either. Almost as though Selina was below her notice and the insult had no more significance than informing someone that their dog had bad breath. Selina didn't like being treated as insignificant, and to this day she's not sure if she wouldn't have decked Possible, given a little more time. Luckily the tension was interrupted by one of the museum staff.

"Excuse me," a young woman said shyly, looking in through the curtain. "The exhibition is about to open." She spoke politely and a little shyly, her Japanese accent only adding to the effect.

"Of course," Kim smiled as though nothing was wrong. "Sorry if we held you up." Selina stayed silent, her expression still stormy as she followed Possible back through the curtain. Suddenly the red-head gasped, falling to the side as she seemed to trip over her own feet. The Asian girl reacted quickly, catching the billionaire before she'd even gotten halfway to the floor.

"Are you okay, Miss?" the girl asked as she helped to steady Possible.

"Yes, thank you," Kim answered sheepishly, offering an embarrassed grin. "Guess I've had a little more to drink than I thought." The other woman returned the smile, holding the curtain open for the two ladies. Selina followed Possible back out to the party, but not before shooting a suspicious look at the museum worker's retreating form. When Kim had steadied herself against the girl, one of the Asian woman's sleeves had been pushed up a bit. Selina had caught a brief glimpse of some black, form-fitting material underneath her clothes. It could be nothing, but it was enough to make the cat-burglar nervous.

The rest of the night had gone by uneventfully enough. Selina had endured through Victor Drakken's speeches that, at times, bordered on obsessive rants. Luckily his wife seemed to notice the signs and a calm pat on his arm was usually enough to halt his growing vigor and bring the lecture back to a reasonable volume.

She'd talked a little more with Felix who seemed a little disappointed to hear about her rather unpleasant introduction to Kim. He did not, however, seem too surprised.

"She can get like that sometimes," he'd said, shaking his head in frustration. "Nobody knows what sets her off, but she'll be great one minute, horrible the next, and then apologize like a saint the next day. It's almost enough to make one ponder schizophrenia."

When the academic part of the party had concluded, Bertie had snatched her away for some dancing and conversation. He also acted rather taken aback by Selina's lukewarm reaction to Kim, but like Felix, he waved it off as 'Kim being Kim' and assured her she'd probably get an apology letter tomorrow accompanied by a bottle of wine.

She'd left a little after Possible had teetered out, looking a little more tipsy than she had at their brief encounter. Despite Felix and Bertie's reassurances, Selina was still feeling quite venomous toward the red-head. Still, there wasn't anything to be done about it, so she'd caught a ride home and started preparing for her clandestine return to the museum.

Making her way across the rooftops, Selina began to fully appreciate some of the differences between Gotham and Metropolis. It took much less effort to stick to the shadows here; they lay heavy across the buildings even in the better neighborhoods. In Metropolis everything had been lit up and bright, spotlights sweeping to and fro across the buildings. This was much more her element, and the thief allowed herself a small smirk of satisfaction beneath her mask.

The museum opened up to her as easily as she thought it would. An electronic coil applied to the skylight to short-circuit the alarm system, a small air-gun to attach scramblers to the security cameras, and pressurized suction cups to let her crawl across the ceiling, safe from the pressure sensors. There was no heat signature alarm, but even that would have been useless; her suit being capable of lowering it's signature to room temperature.

Once she was over the exhibit, it's curtain now gone, she attached a rappel line to the ceiling and slowly lowered herself down to the case containing the idol. It was painstaking work, cutting into the glass cover without setting off the alarms, carefully slipping in the mirrors to deflect the laser beams; nothing she hadn't done before.

Selina grinned to herself as the last mirror slid into place and she deftly plucked the idol from it's cushion, replacing it with her usual calling card before making her way back across the ceiling and out the skylight. The usual swell of invigoration washed over her as she ran across the rooftops of Gotham. The cold air whipped at her through her suit, but it only made her feel that much more alive.

Soon, however, another kind of shiver started to run across her skin. One that dulled her excitement and made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. She started to glance about her nervously as she ran, unsure of what she expected to see. Selina thought she caught a flash of something in her peripheral vision just before her legs were suddenly bound together and she fell to the rooftop.

Growling a bit frantically, she tore the bindings from her calves and rolled back to her feet, searching for the dropped bag containing the idol. She found it laying just a few feet away, but froze when she noticed the figure standing on the other side of the roof.

The features were impossible to make out, the shadows and heavy cape that wrapped around it turned the figure into nothing more than a shapeless hulk of blackness. She could, however, make out the two pointy 'ears' that jutted out of its head. The same ones she'd seen in the photos shown to her by Wilson.

"The 'Bat' I presume," she smirked, shaking off her initial shock. "Wow, I thought I'd need to pull at least TWO jobs before I got the privilege of a visit from Gotham's number one sideshow."

If Selina expected any response to her jibes (which she'd grown to enjoy almost as much as burglary) she was sorely disappointed. The looming figure didn't speak, didn't acknowledge what she said, didn't even circle her cautiously. He simply started walking straight across the roof toward her. She was so surprised that it was a good two or three seconds before it all registered and she finally moved.

She lunged forward for the bag, grabbing the handles and sprinting as fast as she could for the side of the roof. Unfortunately her delay had cost her and she found heavy cloth whipping about her as the Bat collided with her back. Again Selina was surprised when, instead of hauling her back from the edge, the man continued the forward momentum, sending them both tumbling off the roof toward the street below.

The uncontrolled fall sent her stomach lurching sickeningly as the world spun about them. She felt the Bat shift a bit and the fall suddenly changed direction, swinging them over another building. Selina was barely able to register it as some sort of abandoned apartment or warehouse before the arm wrapped around her disappeared and she was sent plummeting through the building's skylight.

The landing knocked the wind out of her, but apart from some minor scratches she was unharmed. She rolled back to her feet as quickly as she could, catching sight of the Bat as he released the grapple line he was holding and plunged through the skylight after her, instantly disappearing in the complete darkness of the interior.

"Oh no you don't," Selina growled, thumbing a control on her goggles that turned her vision green with night-vision. The Bat was just rising from where he landed and the thief grinned to herself, ready to exact a little revenge. She never got the chance. In the next instant, the dark figure had pulled something from the confines of his cape and held it out in front of him. There was a soft pop and Selina was suddenly blinded by an intense flash of light. Her green-tinted vision went white and she cried out in pain, the sudden agony sending her stumbling backward. She couldn't even fight back as the goggles were roughly ripped from her face along with her mask and she was pressed up against a wall, a forearm crushing down on her throat.

"Who are you working for?" The voice growled out near her ear, so rough that it was almost unintelligible. Her vision was still swimming from the flash so all she could make out of his face was a black blob. Only the demonic ears were still prominent.

"Working for?" she answered, almost in a panic from the sheer chaos of the situation. "Nobody. I just..."

"DON'T LIE TO ME!" This time he roared in her face, the heat from his breath making her cringe involuntarily. "I _know_ you, 'Catwoman'," he hissed close to her ear again. "I _know_ this isn't your kind of score. I _know_ you're doing this FOR someone. Now tell me whO I**T IS!**"

Selina wanted to believe it was a carefully laid plan on her part, but the truth is that it was her fear more than anything. Her fear that finally let her focus on that warm sensation she always had within her ever since her skin had changed to it's pale green color and transfer it to her hands. The Bat fell away from her with a startled grunt as her hands had begun burning through his suit. As soon as the pressure was released, Selina bolted away. She ran through the building, out the door and away into the night; not daring to stop until she was sure that the dark figure was not following her.

Selina didn't go back to her apartment that night. The Bat had seen her face and she couldn't be sure that it was safe for her to return. She eventually found a horridly seedy hotel were the clerk took her money while pointedly NOT looking at her black, form-fitting attire and full duffel bag.

Selina tried to go to sleep normally in the rather shoddy bed, but found it was impossible. Dreams of large, monstrous bats left her huddled in a corner with the blanket wrapped tightly around her. At that moment, she truly wished she'd NEVER come to Gotham City.

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_To be continued... _

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_And there ya go. Reviews welcome as always and I'll try to get the next chapter out quicker than this one. Next time we'll find out the location of the second idol and that Selina might not be the only one who's trying to get ahold of them._


	3. Friendships & Falsehoods

_WOO HOO!! Someone caught the P. G. Wodehouse reference!! You just made my week!_

_Ahem, anyway... Hi everyone. Sorry again for the long wait, but I'm lazy. There, I said it. No excuses. Anyway, usual disclaimers; don't own any of the characters and all that. Hopefully I'll get the next chapter out quicker, but who knows. Oh well, on with the show._

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**Shadow of the Bat**

Chapter 3 - Friendships & Falsehoods

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Emotions are strange things. In one way they are quite transient; appearing and disappearing with nothing more than the subtlest of changes. Yet, at the same time they can linger for years with some small trigger bringing them quickly to the forefront once more. It is, perhaps, this duality that can make them so hard to control and overcome; the warmth of happiness, the hollowness of depression, and the numbing cold of fear.

Selina woke from a fitful sleep still huddled in the corner, the sunlight filtering through the dirty motel room window chasing away her terror and replacing it with shame. She cursed herself for being so easily controlled; for that was what had happened. Selina was quite clever herself and the tactics the Bat had used were quite simplistic, though very effective. The silent treatment at the first encounter, never giving her a second's rest to adjust, the darkened room and violent shouting; all had been focused on taking away her sense of reality, her feeling of control. Take someone out of their comfort zone and you could more easily control them; more easily debilitate them with terror.

Yet even having recognized the man's actions for what they were, she still wasn't free of the affects. Even as she stood under the shower, washing the dried sweat from her skin and scolding herself for being afraid; still she felt the faint tingle of fear whenever she visualized his silhouette. Pointy ears and billowing cape, so much like the creature from her nightmare. Perhaps it had been a preminotion; a warning of doom.

Selina shook her head, dismissing those thoughts before they'd even taken hold. She didn't believe in that kind of nonsense. The Fire had saved her, just as it had on other occasions where she'd come close to capture or death. The Fire was the other side of her "deformity", the side that the public didn't know about. It was usually just the burning glow, but if she concentrated hard enough she could get some flames to dance around her hands hot enough to burn through most metals.

The thief allowed herself a triumphant smirk at the thought of her nightmare creature's surprised grunt as her hands had begun melting whatever armor he'd been wearing. And it WAS armor. Selina knew what a bullet-proof vest felt like and the man had definitely been wearing some form of protective body armor. It went a long way to disproving the whole demon theory, though it didn't make her feel any better about the stranger seeing her face.

Wilson hadn't said anything about the Bat having contacts with the authorities, but she couldn't be sure he wouldn't leak the information somehow. If he made her identity public all her hard work would be gone. No more high-society parties, fancy resteraunts, rich boyfriends and lavish apartments. Her life would quickly be reduced to... this. A disgusted frown crossed her face as she looked around at the dingy room.

After she'd showered and dressed Selina grabbed her bag and caught a taxi. Not wanting to walk straight into a trap, she had the driver drop her off about a block away from her apartment. From there it was a simple matter to duck into a deserted alley and scale one of the buildings. Even in the daytime, the rooftops of Gotham held plenty of places to hide and Selina made her way cautiously to a building near her apartment.

For the next three to four hours Selina waited, watching the activity going on around the building and seeing what she could through her apartment window with a scope from her equipment. However, she saw no dark shape waiting for her inside and no nondescript men watching from the street. She could hardly bring herself to believe she'd gotten this lucky, but it certainly looked like she was in the clear.

She remained cautious though; entering her apartment through the window and making a careful search of all the rooms before she let herself relax. Everything was where she left it and she'd found no bug devices hidden under tables, lamps and/or phones. Selina flopped tiredly onto her couch, finally allowing herself a sigh of relief. She'd have to be much more careful with the next job, but for now she'd managed to escape.

Selina had just finished changing her clothes and stashing the idol when the front desk rang her with a message.

"A message arrived for you Miss Goh, from Miss Kimberly Possible. Miss Possible wanted to express her deepest apologies for last night and asked if you would join her for lunch at her home. Miss Goh... are you still there?" the man asked hesitantly when Selina didn't answer right away.

"Oh... yes, of course. Tell her I'll be there," she answered, hanging up the phone in a bit of a daze. Bertie and Felix had said Possible would apologize, but lunch at her house was a bit more than the card and bottle of wine they'd predicted. Truthfully Selina had almost refused the invitation. She had other things to do and didn't really see any personal benefit in getting acquainted with the billionaire. However, Possible had managed to intrigue her and Selina was beginning to feel her infamous curiousity getting the better of her. Besides, she'd have to steel her nerves for the next job tonight and lunch with Possible would help distract her from the faint tingle of fear still floating around in her gut. Modifying her outfit into something a bit nicer yet still casual, she took the elevator to the lobby.

"Excuse me," Selina stepped up to the main desk. "Could you get me a cab, please? I was going to..."

"Miss Possible has already sent a car for you, Miss Goh," the concierge smiled, politely interrupting her. Thanking him, Selina exited the hotel to find a car was indeed waiting for her. Large and jet black, the thing looked straight out of the 1940's and most likely was worth a small fortune. The driver got out as she approached, opening the back door for her.

"Good afternoon, Miss Goh," he greeted her formally, nodding his head. His suit was in as impeccable shape as the car, a driver's cap worn over perfectly arranged, graying hair. Selina nodded back in thanks as she slipped into the back seat. "Please help yourself to a drink, if you wish," he motioned to the mini-bar.

"Thank you mister..."

"Just Alfred, Miss," the man answered, shutting the door for her and climbing into the front seat. "Miss Possible was most insistant that you be offered every luxury. She was most distressed over your encounter yesterday evening. Not that I know what it entailed," he added when Selina gave him a curious look, "just that it upset her greatly."

"Well, I may have expected a phone call, but she seems to be going a little overboard with the lunch and the car, don't you think," Selina smiled, settling back in the seat and crossing her legs.

"Oh, Miss Possible can be quite forceful when she sets her mind to something," Alfred replied knowingly. "Though she has always tended to be a lady of... extremes."

"I'm starting to realize that," the thief said, more to herself than the driver. "Tell me Alfred, what's your employer like? I'm having a hard time figuring her out."

"Sorry Miss, but it's not my place to give my opinions on Miss Possible. Especially behind her back, as it were," the servant replied, shaking his head a little. "I expect it's just the usual excentricities that the very wealthy tend to develop, nothing more."

Selina got the nagging suspicion that the man was keeping something from her, but let it pass. Probably nothing more than a servant refusing to speak badly of his employer. The rest of the drive was spent mostly in silence, with Selina looking out the window and Alfred occasionaly pointing out some landmark or area of interest.

Selina had seen mansions before, even a castle or two. The sight that greeted her as they pulled into the drive, however, left her completely speechless. Not quite a castle, but much more than a simple mansion, the building seemed to jut out of the ground as though it had grown right out of the earth rather than built. Gothic-looking spires and towers stabbed upward toward the sky like horns giving the entire manor a looming quality that further dwarfed anyone who dared to stand in its shadow. As she stepped out of the car, even level-headed Selina began to get a strange feeling in her stomach, as if the house was waiting for her.

"Welcome, Miss Goh," Alfred said, walking up the large front steps to open the door for her, "to Possible Manor."

The inside was just as impressive as the exterior. Selina's footsteps echoed through the main hall as she entered, her eyes wandering over the paintings and tapestries that decorated the high walls all the way back to the two staircases on either side of the hall that led to the upper floors.

"Rather big, isn't it?" she commented wryly, turning back to Alfred as he closed the doors.

"My father hated being confined," Kim Possible's voice drifted down as she appeared at the top of the stairs. "He loved to take long walks around the grounds. Small spaces always made him uneasy. I'm so glad you decided to come, Miss Goh." Kim smiled warmly, reaching out her hand.

"Selina, please," the green-hued thief smiled back, shaking the offered hand. "I hardly felt I could refuse, what with all the trouble you went to."

"Not at all," the red head answered, waving the comment off. "You deserve it after my behavoir. I'm afraid I was a bit worse for wear last night and let my mouth get the better of me. Once I looked back on it with a clear head, I simply HAD to apologize. And what better way than lunch. Alfred is a first class cook and the diningroom is about the nicest you'll find anywhere. Even if I DO say so myself."

"It certainly is an impressive place," Selina agreed, looking around the hall again. "I don't think I've seen anything quite like it."

"Well, we have a little while before the food's ready. Let me show you around." Selina nodded, following after the billionaire as she began the tour of her home. This Kimberly Possible was so different from the one from last night, that Selina found herself quite unnerved by the girl. Of course, this only served to stoke the fires of her interest even further; a trait that had gotten her into trouble before.

It wasn't long into the tour that Selina found herself grateful for Kim's presence, as she was sure she'd be hoplessly lost by now if she were on her own. The red head took her through the main hall, the library; which Selina would swear could rival any public establishment, and on into the conservatory; a room with a stone floor and a curved, windowed wall looking out on an enclosed garden brimming with rare and beautiful plants.

They skipped the diningroom since they'd be seeing that later, and went on into the study. There were more books here, though not as many as in the library, as well as a large stone fireplace over which hung a large portrait of James and Anne Possible. Selina could clearly see the family resemblance to both parents. The mother's red hair, the exact match to her daughters, along with the fiery glint in the eyes. The strong facial structure was definitly from her father, as well as the strange, amused-looking smile that both parent and offspring seemed to share.

"My mother thought the whole thing rather silly," Kim said as Selina stared at the painting, a hint of melancholy tainting her voice. "But dad insisted that it was a family tradition and Alfred would have his head if he tried to break it."

Selina didn't answer, continuing to study the couple in silence for a few moments. Something about the two seemed to demand respect, and the thief found herself feeling like a guilty child under the unblinking gaze of the deceased Possibles.

Her gaze finally drifted from the painting to the rest of the room. More paintings and photographs littered the study, hanging on the walls and on the desks and tables as well.

"You?" Selina asked, pointing at one of a small, red-haired child on a horse.

"Yes," Kim chuckled, looking at the picture. "Alfred was giving me my first riding lesson. Up until then I was terrified of the horses, but Alfred wouldn't hear of it. 'A lady has certain standards to live up to, and giving in to baseless fears is NOT one of them'," she grinned, mimicking her butler's slight Spanish accent.

Selina laughed as she turned back to the other photographs. She couldn't help but notice the difference between the young girl in the pictures and the billionaire that stood beside her now. The young Kim was all large smiles and openess, her eyes sparkling with a zest for life that could take the breath away. The Kim with her now still smiled, but it was all closed-mouthed smirks and grins. This Kim was closed off and distant, Selina could tell.

Something else the thief noticed was the boy. He was in over half of the photographs there, usually hugging, or being hugged by, Kim.

"Who's this?" Selina asked lightly, picking up one of the pictures of the blonde, freckled boy. She noted with interest the other woman's hesitation before answering.

"Just an old friend of mine," Kim replied, her voice suddenly flat and emotionless. "He... went away. Quite awhile ago now." Selina looked from Kim back to the photo where both boy and girl smiled happily back at her.

"Seems like a good friend," she said shortly, letting go of the frame when Kim suddenly reached over to take it.

"Yeah," the red-head almost whispered, a nostalgic smile coming to her lips as she ran a finger over the young man's face. "He was the best."

Best friends. That much was obvious just from the fact that the photographs weren't limited to one period of time. The boy was pictured growing up right along with Kim, the earliest picture of the two had them looking no older than six years old. Inseperable. Yet something HAD separated them and Selina found herself wondering just what could have happened.

"So," Kim suddenly said brightly, interrupting the thief's pondering. "I know you've probably been asked a million times, but I simply can't contain my curiosity any longer. How on earth did you get that remarkable skin color?"

"Oh, THAT question, eh," Selina sighed good-naturedly. She considered acting offended, but the truth was she'd been asked so many times that it didn't really bother her anymore. "There's not much to tell really. I wasn't even born when it happened. Apparantly some meteor or comet or something crashed into my parents' house. All green and glowing, they said. My mother was about eight months pregnant with me at the time. My father never made it outta the wreckage and my mom only lived for a little while afterward. One C-section later and here I am. People ran all kinds of tests on me, but apart from the skin color I was perfectly healthy, so they eventually had to let me go."

"Wow," Kim smiled, shaking her head in wonder. "And all it did was change the color of your skin?"

"Yeah," Selina answered, furrowing her brow a little as she thought she heard something in Possible's voice. "Why?"

"Oh, I don't know," the billionaire shrugged, suddenly nonchalant again. "It just sounds like something out of a science fiction movie or something."

"Well I don't think I'm turning into an alien or anything," the raven-haired woman smirked. "So you don't have to worry about that."

"Good to know," Kim chuckled, turning to lead the way out of the room. "C'mon. Lunch should be ready soon and I've got one more room I want to show you."

Selina wasn't sure what to expect when Possible told her they were going to the Gymnasium, but it definitly couldn't have compared to what awaited her as she entered through the large double doors. The room looked to be even longer than the main hall, if that was possible, with the ceiling arching high overhead. She could see a swimming pool at the far end, and in between it and them, almost every kind of exercise equipment you could ever want.

"A girl's got to keep her figure," Kim joked, seeing her companion's shocked reaction. Selina felt like commenting that NOBODY needed this much equipment to merely 'keep their figure', but was too preoccupied examining the room.

"And how much of this stuff do you actually use?" the thief finally asked after walking around for awhile.

"Oh, most of it," Kim nodded, looking around herself. "Once I get bored with one I just move on to something else. I always swim though. I just adore swimming."

Selina could only grin, Possible's sudden change in tone reminding her of an excited child. Wandering a little further into the room, she came upon a large mat with a collection of fencing swords on the wall.

"Now I KNOW you don't use these," Selina taunted, taking one of the swords down and giving it a few swipes through the air.

"Oh really," Kim grinned back, flipping a sword from it's holders to catch it in her other hand and bringing it down into a defensive position. "Try me."

Selina happily took her up on the offer. The first few strikes weren't very serious; simply feeling things out. Kim countered each one just as casually, the same playful smirk still on her face. The thief circled her opponent for awhile, making a few more tentative strikes before stepping forward with a more complicated attack.

Kim easily countered that as well, sliding her blade around the other one and pushing it away. The two stared at each other for a second or two and then, as if by some silent agreement, stopped to pull their hair back, holding their foils under their arms to free their hands. As soon as they'd tied back their hair, Selina with a hair band from her pocket and Kim with the silk hankerchief that had been around her neck, the swords were immediatly brought back into position and the two women exploded into motion.

It was obvious to anyone watching that Kim was technically more skilled, but Selina held her own. Her parries and lunges were rougher; a little sloppier, but reflexes honed from years of her 'hobby' made up for any inexperience on her part.

She twisted her upper body to the side, dodging a lunge from Kim and retaliating with a swipe at the red-head's side. Kim sidestepped, trying to catch Selina's blade under hers, but the thief slipped backward, forcing the billionaire to follow.

Soon the fencing mat itself was abandoned as the fight moved through the rest of the room. Selina rolled backward over a weight bench to avoid a slash from Kim's foil, not even pausing as she hopped fluidly onto a balance beam. This didn't deter her opponent however, who hopped right up with her without so much as an uncertain teeter.

The back and forth of attack and counterattack began again, the two women's feet moving carefully forward and backward along the beam as they tried to outmaneuver each other. Selina was almost smiling in earnest now, even as a sheen of sweat began to stand out on her forehead. And while Kim looked much more focused, a smirk was playing around her lips as well.

Selina ducked another swipe and flipped backward off the beam to avoid the backswing that was aimed at her legs. Kim ran across the balance beam, jumping off after her in an attempt to take the dark-haired woman by surprise. Selina managed to parry the attack though, bringing her sword hilt-to-hilt with Kim's and using the leverage to push the other woman away.

Immediatly taking back the offensive, the thief came at Kim with a flurry of quick attacks. The red-head continued to counter them, but was forced to retreat a bit, eventually bringing them along the edge of the pool. Selina put a little extra force behind one swing, knocking Kim's blade to the side and trying to bring hers back down on the girl before she could recover. Possible barely managed to get her sword back up in time to block the swing, the two foils clanging together near the base, locking the blades and turning the fight into a sudden test of strength as the two combatants pushed against each other's weapon.

"So, do you believe I can use one of these things now?" Kim asked smugly, looking at the other woman from between the locked foils. Selina chuckled.

"I gotta admit, Possible," the thief smirked back. "You're just full of surprises."

"You bet I am. Kinda like this one."

Kim suddenly stopped pushing and stepped to the side. The sudden shift in force sent Selina stumbling forward, falling to her hands and knees. With only a split second before Kim brought her foil to bear on the thief's unprotected back, Selina dipped her hand into the pool and flung it backwards sending a spray of water into the red-head's face. She rolled back to her feet, turning to face her opponent who was currently wiping the water out of her eyes.

"Dirty fighting, eh?" the billionaire said, amusement tinging her voice.

Selina grinned wickedly.

"It's my favorite kind," she answered, shrugging.

Kim didn't respond except for a grin, advancing on Selina again with more intensity. This time it was Selina who was forced to retreat, slowly but steadily losing ground as she desperately blocked and countered the red-head's renewed assault.

Kim suddenly lunged forward and Selina brought her sword around to parry the blade away. Too late she realized her mistake, as the billionaire deftly slid her foil around her opponent's, managing to catch the edge of the hilt and fling it to the side. Selina suddenly found herself weaponless with the guarded tip of Kim's blade lightly resting under her throat.

"Well," the thief said, still marveling a little at just how fast Possible had moved. "It seems you have me at a disadvantage."

"Surrender?" Kim asked, smiling and raising an eyebrow.

Selina's expression turned mischevious, smirking deviously even with the sword sitting at her jugular.

"Now where's the fun in that?"

The little stand-off continued for the next few minutes with neither woman willing to make the first move. Even though it had initially been a playful sparring match, neither of them seemed willing to back down. Luckily the stalemate was broken by Alfred, informing them that dinner was ready.

"Thank you, Alfred," Kim replied, bringing her sword down to her side. Alfred nodded and turned to leave, but stopped suddenly to look back over his shoulder.

"If I might remind you Miss," he said politely while giving Kim a pointed look. "Proper storage and maintinance are both important aspects to the art of fencing."

"Yes, thank you Alfred," Kim answered, looking slightly amused. The butler nodded again and left the room, though not before Selina noticed something peeking out above his collar. "I left the foils sitting out, uncleaned a few too many times," the red-head explained, actually looking a little sheepish as she collected the two blades and returned them to their places.

"A real stickler for detail, huh?" Selina grinned. "I assume he knows a bit about fencing himself."

"Who do you think taught me everything I know?" Kim replied casually, heading for the door. Selina could only shake her head and follow her host as she led the way to the diningroom.

That room, of course, turned out to be just as impressive as the rest of the house. A long, polished wood table stretched down the center of the room, lined with high-backed, cushioned chairs. One wall had four large windows looking out over the grounds, two on either side of the great stone fireplace.

Kim and Selina sat across from each other at one end of the table, talking lightly while eating what Alfred had called, 'chicken agrodulce'. Selina had to admit the dish was quite good, and the conversation was surprisingly enjoyable. The thief found herself relaxed, laughing easily with Kim as they talked. She was pleasantly surprised to find that the red-head had a rather intelligent sense of humor; a slightly subtle, dry wit that seemed out of place with the girl's reputation.

In fact, Kim Possible seemed to be a MOUNTAIN of contradictions and paradoxes. Selina couldn't help herself from pondering over just what kind of person the billionaire REALLY was. The thief might have actually been suspicious if she wasn't having so much fun.

Afternoon turned into evening without either of the two women noticing. Alfred had taken the lunch plates away long ago, and now came back, standing politely nearby to inquire if they'd like some supper now. Kim and Selina agreed that some simple soup would be fine and Alfred hurried off to make some. It was nearly dark by the time the two of them stood at the front door.

"Thanks," Selina smiled as she stepped outside. "I had a really good time today."

"Not at all," Kim waved off the gratitude. "I just hope I'm forgiven now. Maybe we can get together again sometime?"

"I'd like that," the thief answered, and was rather surprised by how much she actually meant it. With a last wave she hurried down the steps to the waiting taxi, having insisted on not making Alfred drive her all the way back to her hotel.

Kim Possible stood at the front doors, watching the car disappear up the drive.

"You know, Miss," Alfred said, walking up to stand behind her. "If I didn't know better, I'd almost think you'd enjoyed yourself today."

"Funny thing, Alfred. I actually did." Her smile was faint, but warm.

"A pity then, isn't it Miss."

Kim's smile faded at her butler's words, her lips becoming a grim line.

"Yes, Alfred. A great pity."

The large front doors of Possible Manor creaked only slightly as they swung shut.

* * *

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Butterflies were still zooming about in Selina's stomach when she headed out that night, but the lingering feelings from her visit with Possible were enough to keep her mind off it. Her visit with the billionaire had so boistered her spirits, that she actually started to have fun during her trip across the rooftops toward her next target.

Still, she kept a watchful eye out for any lurking, bat-like shapes and listened intently for any rustle of a heavy cloak as she climbed onto the window ledge of Lord Fiske's mansion. Her conversation with Felix about the Englishman at the party hadn't been simple small talk. One of the idols was currently in his possession.

The layout was impressive with lots of cutting edge security measures, but the entire thing ended up being only slightly tougher than the museum last night. Fiske's system was expensive, but actually left a couple fairly obvious options completely unguarded.

This seemed a little strange to Selina since Fiske didn't exactly strike her as a fool. Then again, it wouldn't be the first operation compromised by poor delegation of work, and Selina never looked a gift horse in the mouth. She slipped the idol into her bag, left her calling card, and slunk back outside.

Her fear spiked a bit on the run back to her apartment, but no black shapes came swooping out of the shadows at her. Perhaps if she hadn't been so nervous about the Bat, Selina would have noticed that faint tingling in her subconcious. That small bit of intuition that always told her when a lock was booby trapped, when the cops were near, or when she was being followed.

Indeed, not too far behind her, another dark figure scurried through the shadowed rooftops of Gotham. This figure wore no cloak or bat-like mask, but was actually dressed in a form-fitting ninja uniform. She watched Selina climb back through her own window before turning to move away again.

Her instincts ended up being a little more on the ball tonight than Selina's, as the ninja rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the caped figure that slammed onto the bit of concrete she'd been standing on just a second earlier.

"What are you doing here?" the Bat growled, slowly straightening up and fixing the ninja with an intimidating glare. The eyes behind the mask widened a little at the monstrous shape that had suddenly appeared before her, and she involuntarily took a step back.

The Bat's hand shot out to grab the ninja by the front of her uniform, but the black-clad girl's moment of hesitation was over and she grabbed the hand, bring her own around to try and wrench the offending arm painfully and send her attacker to his knees.

Her opponent was no slouch either though, and spun away from the attempted submission hold to send a sidekick into the girl's ribs. An explosion of movement went off a second later with both fighters trying to gain the upper hand on the other. The ninja was VERY skilled, but couldn't seem to get any real attack through her opponent's defenses. If she'd thought that the heavy cape would have been a hinderance, she'd soon have changed her mind. The cape swirled right along with the bat-like stranger, whipping into her face several times to cut off any opening the wearer might have let slip.

In a last desperate attempt, the ninja caught the Bat's foot in the middle of another kick, stepping forward quickly and slamming her palm into the armored midsection with all her might. The Bat rolled with the impact and was back up in less than a second, but it was enough of a reprieve to allow the ninja to slip a small pellet from her uniform and throw it to the ground.

The slim figure of the ninja was instantly swallowed up by a thick cloud of smoke. The Bat swept through it quickly with a swoosh of the cape to help dispell the smoke, but the ninja had already vanished. The dark figure showed no hint of anger, only glancing around a few times with narrowed eyes. Finally casting one last look toward Selina's window, the Bat melted back into the shadows and was gone.

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_To be continued..._


	4. Plans

_Hi everyone. Yeah, I know it's been FOREVER since I updated anything, but I'm trying to get back into the swing of it. Your patience is appreciated. And for those of you who aren't patient... well, I'm not givin' you my address, so you're kinda stuck anyway. As usual, Kim Possible and Batman ain't mine. More's the pity._

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**Shadow of the Bat**

Chapter 4 - Plans

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Selina awoke that morning in a much better mood than yesterday. Sleeping in the hotel's large, soft bed was a big reason for this, though memories of her time with Kim bolstered her outlook even more. It had been a very long time since Selina had an actual friend. Sure, there were those she liked, such as Bertie, but they were still partly "business". She still had to maintain her "aloof femme fatale" persona. Kim was different. The millionaire made Selina feel as though pretense wasn't necessary and she could just be herself. Yet at the same time projecting an air of strangeness, as though there was always just a little bit more to her than you knew.

The thief looked at the card she'd been given with Kim's number, briefly considering calling the red-head right away. She finally decided against it though, opting instead for a morning of shopping. The high end retail section of Gotham was still swanky enough that you could almost forget that you were in a city with one of the highest crime rates in the U.S. Selina indulged herself with another dress, a particularly attractive pair of shoes, and an extremely extravagant pair of diamond earrings. After all, this job was paying enough to pay for much more than that. Might as well splurge just a little.

The day was bright and pleasant with a few fluffy clouds and a lazy breeze that ruffled the hair. For perhaps the first time since she'd arrived in Gotham, Selina felt completely carefree. The nervous suspicions about Wilson, the lingering fear from her encounter with the Bat, the nagging feeling that someone was watching her; all melted away under the bright, blue sky. She knew, of course, that it was only temporary, so she savored it as much as she could. Tonight would bring the last job and the second part of her payment, then she could put Gotham and the Bat behind her. Maybe she'd head back to Metropolis or perhaps Central City. For now though, she decided it was time for some lunch.

Selina had just given the waiter her order when someone called her name. Sure enough, there was Kim Possible, waving at her from the door. The thief smiled back, gesturing the other woman over.

"Selina," Kim greeted happily once she'd made her way to the table. "This is perfect. I was just thinking about calling you."

"Really," Selina replied, feeling a little smug that she might have made as much of an impression on the millionaire as she'd made on her.

"Yeah, I had something to ask you," Kim paused to give the waiter her order, continuing after the man had left. "Listen, I was supposed to go to the opera this evening and my date's canceled on me. Do you think you could come along? I have a hard time sitting through these things without someone to talk to."

"Hey, I'd love to," Selina answered happily. She actually quite liked the opera, if for no other reason than that it was yet another luxury she could indulge in. "What are we seeing?"

"Fiddler on the Roof. The cast has been getting great reviews in all the magazines." The drinks came at that point and the conversation lapsed into small talk through the rest of lunch. Even after they were finished eating, the two women sat at the table, sipping at their drinks and talking easily about nothing in particular.

"The play's not for another hour," Kim said as they were leaving the restaurant. "Let's walk over to the theater. Alfred can take your bags and meet us there afterward."

Selina agreed readily, leaving her purchases in the large, black car and heading off down the sidewalk with Kim at a lazy pace. The sun was just beginning to take on the orangish color of late afternoon and the wind was just a tad brisker, though still not uncomfortable.

The two women walked in silence for awhile, enjoying the refreshing air and relatively quiet atmosphere. Selina couldn't believe how normal it all felt. Like she was just another person walking down the sidewalk without a care in the world. It was strange, yet reassuring at the same time.

"You fascinate me, you know?" Kim finally said, breaking the silence.

"I thought we already went over that," Selina replied with mock annoyance.

"Oh, not the green skin thing. I just mean you in general," the red-head clarified. "Your attitude, the way you live... everything. It's just something I've never seen before."

"Surely YOU'RE not baffled by the concept of not working for a living," the thief answered with a smirk. "You seem quite proficient at it."

"Ha, ha," Kim said sarcastically. "It's not the same thing and you know it. I mean, you really DO work for a living. I know how burnt out I get on society life sometimes, but to be completely dependant on it... I just can't imagine. Do you ever think about what you'll do after? Once you can't play the arm candy anymore?"

Selina was silent for a moment. She could feel the other girl's eyes glancing at her as they walked. The thief considered cutting this line of discussion off now before the questions got any more personal. However, for some reason she found herself trusting Kim. Very strange for Selina, but she liked the feeling and was loathe to let it go.

"I've thought about it," the thief answered, looking at the ground. "I figure I'll have to settle down eventually. Buy myself a nice semi-fancy house or condo. Heck, maybe I'll write my memoirs," she joked, a smile returning to her face. "I can either publish it or use it for blackmail."

"Well, it's nice to know you're planning. Or scheming, as the case may be," Kim laughed. "I assume that means you've been building yourself a nice nest egg. Is it all from the presents you get from your boyfriends?"

"Not all of it," Selina answered without thinking, cursing herself a second later for letting that slip. "I do some other stuff too." She mentally begged Kim not to pursue it, but it wasn't to be.

"What kind of stuff?" the red-head asked.

"Oh, just computer type things," Selina replied, trying to be as vague as possible while still answering the question. "You know, on-line sales and stuff."

Kim shot a narrowed glance at the other girl.

"Why won't you just tell me?" she asked bluntly. Selina desperately tried to think of a way to get out of the situation.

"I'll tell you," she finally said, giving a narrow glance of her own. "If you tell me what happened to that boy from your photos."

Possible instantly stopped talking. Her eyes jerked back to look straight ahead. Selina knew she'd pinched a sore nerve, but Kim just wouldn't let the subject of her 'hobby' go. As guilty as it made her feel, Selina HAD to put the nix on that conversation quickly.

The rest of the walk was tense. Neither woman was exactly angry at the other, but the light feel of earlier was gone.

"Oh, here we are," Kim said, finally breaking the awkward silence. Her tone and manner were suddenly upbeat and excited again. It seemed like she was just going to forget the latter part of the conversation and Selina was perfectly happy to do the same.

The opera was suitably lavish and breathtaking and despite her earlier protests of boredom, Kim seemed to enjoy it just as much as Selina. The cast was indeed excellent, garnering several standing ovations. The crowd took it's time leaving the theater after it was all over, discussing everything from the lighting to the costumes. Kim and Selina strolled out onto the street with their own conversation. Alfred was waiting, but the two agreed that they'd like to walk a bit more. The older man simply gave a small nod and got back in the car to follow.

Talk of the opera soon dwindled as the two women walked, replaced with a semi-awkward silence as feelings from their earlier conversation started to resurface.

_"You should apologize,"_ Selina thought to herself, casting a furtive glance at Kim's downcast face. _"It's only natural she was curious. You shouldn't have thrown her friend in her face like that. It's obviously something painful and you tore into her for it just to make yourself feel better."_

The thief had actually opened her mouth to apologize when Kim cut her off.

"His name...," she paused for a moment as though to steady herself, halting their walk as well. "His name was Ron. I'm sorry I was so nosey before, and I'm sorry I wouldn't explain about me and Ron earlier. I'm just... It's still kinda upsetting to talk about."

"Please, I don't..." Selina said, trying to cut off Kim's apology. But the red-head silenced her, smiling sadly and laying a hand on the other girl's arm.

"No, you're right," Kim said, her voice softer than Selina had ever heard it. "I can't expect you to tell me everything about yourself and then clam up on my life. That's not fair."

The red-head pulled Selina over to the nearby fountain, urging her to sit down beside her on the edge. The thief was obediently silent as Kim sat quietly for a few moments. Part of her wanted to stop her new friend from continuing as it was obviously painful for the red-head. However, the curious side of her kept her silent, excited at the prospect of catching a glimpse of Possible's inner-workings.

"I attended private schools for my later education," Kim finally said, staring off into the distance as she talked, though she kept her hand on Selina's arm. "But my father wanted to be sure I wouldn't turn snobbish in my early, formative years. So I went to the public elementary school."

The millionaire's brow creased a bit in thought, perhaps digging up the memories of her childhood education. From the look of her expression, they were not pleasant.

"It didn't start off too well," Kim went on, shaking her head a bit. "Being the daughter of the richest family in Gotham made me an immediate target. Some wanted to befriend me simply because of my position, and others wanted to torment me for the same reason. I remember wanting to plead with my father not to make me go, but he seemed so proud of me that I couldn't bring myself to disappoint him."

Selina suddenly noticed the red-head's face brighten a bit, the corners of her mouth twitching into a smile as she continued.

"Then one day, I was on the playground when a group of older kids came over and took the ball I was playing with. I asked them to give it back, but they just laughed at me. Everyone on the playground was watching and it just made me feel sick and exposed. I almost started crying, but then..." her smile grew a little more. "Then this scrawny, blonde kid walked right up to them and told them to stop bothering me. Of course, he was a whole head shorter than them, so he wasn't really all that intimidating. They just laughed again and one of them knocked him down. I sorta lost it after that and hauled off and hit him back."

Kim chuckled a bit, her eyes briefly getting that spark that Selina had seen in the photographs in the manor's study.

"When the teacher showed up and saw us; Ron on the ground with the beginnings of a black eye, and me standing over a kid with a bloody nose... well, we ALL ended up with detention. I didn't get in too much trouble at home, once I'd explained what happened. Heck, I think my mom was almost proud of me for it. I didn't really pay much attention to Ron at first. He sat with me during our detention, but I figured him for just another person trying to be 'Kim Possible's Friend'. He doodled on his paper and whispered jokes about the teacher when she wasn't paying attention. I smiled, but didn't really talk to him. But then..." she paused, getting a dreamy look on her face. "Then he said one of the sweetest things I've ever heard."

Selina cocked her head to the side.

"He said, 'What's your name?'."

Kim paused again, sniffing a bit even though her smile was probably the happiest she'd ever had in the short time that Selina had known her.

"He didn't even know who I was," she said, finally turning to look at Selina. "He wasn't trying to help 'Kim Possible'. He was trying to help ME. He sat in detention trying to cheer ME up. He didn't want to be the friend of the city's richest girl. He wanted to be MY friend. It was weird, like a switch had been thrown. From that moment on we were best friends. Even when I left public school we stayed friends. I don't think there's one important moment in my life that he wasn't there for; always encouraging me in that goofy little way of his. It's funny really. I just figured... I thought he'd always be there."

"What happened?" Selina asked softly, her hand moving of it's own accord to rest on top of Kim's.

"When my parent's died," the red-head continued after taking a moment to steady herself. "I... made some changes in my life. In hindsight they probably weren't the best decisions I could have made, but that doesn't really matter. To put it simply, I cut myself off from everyone. Even Ron. I traveled for awhile, didn't tell anyone where I was going. When I eventually came back, he was the first one to show up at the house. He tried talking to me, but I wouldn't really say much back."

Kim trailed off, seeming unsure on how to proceed.

"Look, I'm not going to go into the details. Basically, I made some poor choices and Ron got hurt because of them. He was trying to help me and I wouldn't let him. I..." she trailed off again, sniffing and wiping viciously at her eye. Selina shushed her, giving her hand a squeeze.

"That's enough," the thief said, unable to let Kim continue. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything."

"No, I... I wanted to tell you, it's just..." the red-head shook her head, sniffing again before looking up to smile at Selina. "Look at me," she said wryly. "We just saw a great opera and here I am ruining the evening by getting all weepy."

"Don't be silly," the thief smiled back. "My evening is FAR from ruined."

"Thank you, Selina," Kim said softly, squeezing the thief's hand back.

Now, Selina Goh was very accomplished at reading people. It's only natural given her 'business'. She learned to read their eyes and body language, so she could make a very accurate guess as to what they might be thinking. And Kim Possible's body language was saying something to her now. The smile, the tilt of the head, the hand in her's... it all gave off a certain feeling to Selina. And, being the type of person who prefers to jump first and think of the consequences afterward, Selina acted on that feeling.

Kim didn't move when the dark-haired woman suddenly closed the distance between them and pressed her lips to hers. Feeling no resistance, Selina felt free to deepen the kiss, slipping her free hand up to cup the red-head's cheek. For awhile everything seemed to stand still.

And then Kim was pulling away.

Selina's first thought was that she'd probably just alienated the only person who came anywhere close to being someone she could call a real friend. However, while the millionaire definitely looked shocked, she didn't look particularly angry.

"Sorry," Selina said quietly. "I just got the urge to... I can be a little impulsive, so..."

"Impulsive," Kim parroted, her words a little mumbled. "Yeah... um. Well, it's... uh... kinda late. Why don't we head home."

Selina nodded mutely and the two women walked over to where Alfred was parked alongside the curb. The butler/chauffeur seemed to be engrossed in some paperback he was reading and gave no indication if he had been watching the two.

The ride back to Selina's hotel was silent. The heavy, thoughtful kind of silence you tend to get when a few too many 'big' things have happened in a short period of time. Selina didn't even notice much of the ride back, snapping out of her thoughts only when she felt the car pulling to a stop. Alfred offered to carry her bags in for her, but Selina politely refused.

"Oh," Kim suddenly said as Selina was opening the car door. "I, um... I got you this. A 'thank you' present for forgiving me." She pulled a small, rectangular box from the door-compartment and held it out to the other woman. Opening it revealed a silver chain necklace with a smooth, green stone wreathed with silver accents hanging from it.

"Kim... I couldn't..."

"It's yours," the red-head cut her off, her voice regaining a little of it's edge. "I've really enjoyed myself with you Selina. I want you to have it."

Selina gingerly took the necklace from it's box, slipping it around her neck and clasping it at the back. The silver twinkled up at her, the green stone complimenting her skin tone perfectly.

"Thank you," she finally said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Kim, I... I mean... thanks." She stumbled a bit over her words before collecting her shopping bags and climbing out of the car. Standing on the sidewalk, she turned back to look in at the millionaire. "I'll... see you tomorrow?"

The tone in her voice and the look in her eyes as she stared in at Kim, made the question in Selina's farewell unmistakable. For a minute they stood there, the thief waiting with baited breath for the millionaire's reply.

"Yeah," Kim finally answered. "Tomorrow."

The door closed and the car drove off down the street. Selina let out the breath she'd been holding. It hadn't been a strongly decisive answer, but it was a definite affirmative. Selina's steps felt extremely lighter than usual as she walked into the hotel.

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Back in the car, Alfred looked at his employer in the rearview mirror.

"Home, Miss?"

"Home, Alfred," Kim replied flatly. "I've still got a lot to do tonight."

"Of course," the older man nodded, falling silent for a few moments before speaking again. "Any problems, Miss?"

The red-head looked up to meet her servant's gaze in the mirror.

"No, Alfred. No problems."

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An hour later, Lord Fiske was standing in his library, sipping lazily from a glass of sherry as he stared at the empty display case that used to hold the small wooden idol. He'd spent a decidedly tedious day talking to police and fending off reporters. Sometimes he wondered if the perks of living so prominently were worth the hassles and annoyances that same position brought.

Fiske's back was turned toward the large double window on the wall and no discernable sound seemed to break the silence. Yet suddenly the Englishman smiled and started speaking, as if to another person.

"I really have had a terrible day today," he said conversationally, examining his drink as he sloshed it around in the glass. "I'm sure even YOU must understand the need to relax and have some privacy every now and then. And I'd appreciate it if you'd close the window. You're letting in the smell."

As he finished, Fiske turned to face the black-clad figure standing in the window. The Bat didn't acknowledge anything Fiske had said, merely fixing the man with a penetrating glare.

"Why did she take the idol?" the masked figure growled, less a question and more a command.

"You expect ME to know that?" Fiske asked, innocently placing a hand on his chest. "Perhaps the thief thought it was pretty. I am not an expert on the workings of the criminal mind."

"You're security is better than that," the Bat pressed, pointing toward the empty case. "Major holes were left in your system. Easily exploited by anyone with know-how."

"Indeed?" Fiske replied in a shocked tone. "It seems I must have a talk with my security chief if things have become so lax. To think that someone in my employ could have made SUCH an error."

The Bat's glare narrowed even further as he stared holes into the Englishman.

"What are you up to, Fiske?" he ground out dangerously. Fiske returned the glare with his own cool gaze, giving nothing away.

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about," he said, turning away to refill his glass. "I am the victim here. Stealing something I already own... a bit redundant, don't you think."

When he turned back to the window, the dark figure was gone; leaving as silently as it had arrived.

"And goodnight to you as well, Detective," Fiske smiled, raising his glass toward the vacant windowsill.

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Selina paused on the rooftop, looking down at the warehouse where the final idol was supposed to be. It was also one of the artifacts that Victor Drakken had brought back with him, though it had been shipped separately from the other one. At the moment it was sitting in a box in the warehouse below.

It was looking to be much easier than both the previous jobs and Selina allowed herself a moment of confidance as she slid in through a window. The necklace that Kim had given her was around her neck, tucked securely inside her suit, and she smiled a bit at the thought.

However, a prickling at the back of her neck began to make her worried. She slunk silently through the rows of crates, picking the lock to the office and flipping through the manifest until she found the one she was looking for. Selina retrieved the idol as quickly as she dared; that nervous feeling growing more and more with each minute.

The idol was stowed in her bag and she had just made it back onto the roof when something dark jumped at her from out of the shadows. A blow to her gut doubled her over and a kick to her head sent her spinning to the ground. Selina instinctively rolled away, barely dodging the axe kick that was aimed at her prone form.

When the thief had rolled to her feet, she sort of expected to see the caped, bat-like terror from the previous night. Instead, she was faced with what could only be a ninja. Selina didn't think she'd ever seen a real ninja before, but she was pretty certain that this was what they'd probably look like. Every feature was covered in black, save for the eyes which glared angrily out at her.

"Servant of the Demon," the ninja spat. "You will give me the idol or die."

The black-clad girl's voice had a heavy Japanese accent, and Selina fancied that she'd heard it somewhere before. Though, understandably, she was a little too preoccupied at the moment to remember.

"Servant of the Demon?" the thief repeated, smirking as she stepped slowly backward, keeping as much distance as she could between her attacker and herself. "I'm no saint, but don't you think that's a little extreme?"

"This is your only warning," the ninja said, ignoring Selina. "Give me the idol."

"Sorry," the thief shrugged. "But I've got an appointment with a large amount of money, and this thing's my ticket there."

"Very well." The ninja's arm suddenly shot forward and Selina only barely managed to dodge the two shurikens that flew toward her. Her attacker closed the distance quickly and Selina found herself frantically blocking lightening fast blows. She managed to keep the majority from landing, but it was obvious that the ninja was more skilled than her. The hits that did get through took their toll, and it was only a matter of time before the other girl overwhelmed her.

One more shot to the ribs finally convinced Selina to pull out her ace in the hole. The green glow sprang up suddenly around her hands and she lashed out hard at the black-clad warrior. The ninja blocked it of course, but that didn't matter. The smaller girl yelped in pain and surprise, stumbling away from Selina and staring in shock at her torn, singed sleeves and the red burn marks on her forearms.

Selina went on the offensive then. The ninja, unable to block the thief's punches normally, was forced to try and avoid them. She caught another burning slash to her back and a graze to her shoulder. Eventually though, she managed to slip under one of the taller woman's blows, delivering a jarring blow to the thief's sternum, followed by a spinning kick to her head.

Stars exploded before Selina's eyes. She hit the ground hard, too dazed to pull herself back up. The ninja was on her in an instant, grabbing the front of her suit.

"You should have taken my warning," the other woman said darkly, pulling back her arm for a final blow. It was stopped midway when a black-gloved hand grabbed the ninja's arm. The Bat had made no sound; the dark figure was just suddenly there, looming over the two women on the ground. Even slightly dazed, Selina felt that familiar shudder run up her spine.

The Bat pulled back violently, throwing the lithe figure away from the thief. Not even a glance was spared for Selina before the masked man followed after the ninja. The black-clad girl, still winded from her fight with Selina, was immediately on a failing defensive. The Bat kept the distance between them next to nothing, making it difficult to gain any breathing room and set up a decent offense. Everytime she tried to retreat, he'd manage to grab her and yank her back, usually into a painful elbow to the head or knee to the gut.

As desperation began to set in, she was doing little more than flailing at her masked attacker. She was already defeated and she knew it, even as she felt the edge of the roof against the back of her legs. With no other escape, the ninja threw herself backward. The Bat grabbed at her clothes, but the fabric, already weakened by Selina's flames, tore away in his hand. The contents of one of her hidden pockets scattered onto the rooftop as the ninja herself went over the edge.

The Bat jumped up onto the ledge, looking down into the alley below. A rusted door hung slightly ajar, a manhole cover was askew, and both ends of the alley were open. There was no sign of the ninja.

Selina had also recovered and fled by the time he turned to look for her. He thought he saw a shadow dart across a distant roof, but didn't pursue it. Crouching down, he went through the small collection of items that had fallen from the ninja woman's clothes.

It was mostly just smoke pellets, though there was a slip of paper in amongst them. The Bat picked it up and stood, unfolding and reading what was on it. The stoney expression beneath the cowl darkened even more. His whole body stiff with anger, the Bat crushed the paper in his hand and, with a swoosh of his heavy cape, was gone. The rooftop, once again, stood empty and silent.

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_To be continued..._

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	5. Revelation

_Heya, back again. Lots 'o action in this one, so hope you enjoy it. Blah, blah, thanks for reading, blah, blah, review, blah, blah. All that jazz._

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**Shadow of the Bat**

Chapter 5 - Revelation

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Selina practically threw herself through the window of her hotel room, slamming it shut and locking it behind her. She stumbled about halfway across the room before falling down, but didn't even bother pausing to get up, scrambling the rest of the way on all fours until she'd gotten to the far wall.

There she finally was still; her back pressed against the wall, staring fixedly at the window. She waited. Waited to see a lithe ninja come scaling up the wall. Waited to see a large bat-like shape come swooping down through the glass.

She waited.

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And then she woke up.

Selina opened her eyes and sat up with a start, blinking dumbly in the early morning light that was streaming through her window. She couldn't remember when she'd fallen asleep, but she was in the same position, sitting on the floor just as she'd been last night. It seemed no late night visitors had disturbed her.

Picking herself up off the floor, Selina ran her hands over her face, taking a deep breath to help collect her wits. Once she felt competent again, she headed for the shower. The thief took her time, letting the warm water relax her muscles and her nerves. She'd never wanted her life to be boring, but when a ninja jumps you out of nowhere only to be distracted by a giant bat...

Well, there IS such a thing as over-doing it.

When she'd finished her shower, Selina threw on a light robe and sat down on the couch. She smiled happily at the feel of the sun as it bathed the room in a warm glow. Then, picking up the phone, she dialed the number she'd memorized on the night this had all started. Funny how long ago that seemed now. The phone rang only once before it was answered.

_"Wilson,"_the stoney voice said tersely.

"I've got your damn knick-knacks," Selina replied, matching his tone. "Now where do you want 'em. I want to get rid of these things, get paid, and get outta this crazy town."

_"Meet me at the south docks,"_ Wilson told her. _"Warehouse 16 at nine o'clock. You'll get the second half of your payment there."_

"Gotcha," the thief answered, hanging up. Leaning back into the sofa cushions, Selina plucked up the necklace Kim had given her last night. A smile twitched the corners of her mouth as she let the thing dangle in the air, the silver chain catching the sunlight.

Today she would make the first move. Selina was an old hand at this kind of thing, and now was the time to be forward. Don't give them time to over-think. She'd dealt with reluctant types before, so she knew how to work around any barriers. It was a game she played very well by now.

A frown suddenly swept across her face.

Was that all this was to her; a game? Sure, it had been that way with the others, but Kim was different.

Wasn't she?

For perhaps the first time in her life, Selina was after something yet had no idea what she planned on doing with it once she got it. She definitely wasn't planning on dropping out of "the game" anytime soon, but she also wanted more with Kim than what she had from her other flings.

With no answer immediately presenting itself, Selina went with her usual strategy and decided to play it by ear. Slipping the necklace around her neck, the thief headed into the bedroom to dress.

* * *

The cab dropped Selina off in front of Possible Manor at about eleven. About a minute after wrapping the large knocker against the heavy wood door, Alfred let her in. He nodded politely in greeting and informed her that Miss Possible over in the east sitting-room.

"If you'll follow me, Miss Goh," he said, leading the way down one long hall. As she followed the older man, Selina once again noticed what she'd seen the other day on the back of his neck, peeking up over his starched collar.

"Alfred," she finally said, unable to stop herself any longer.

"Miss?" he replied, glancing back quickly, but did not stop walking.

"Is that a tattoo on your neck?"

That DID get a slight pause out of the man. Selina saw his hand twitch slightly and she knew he'd been about to reach up to cover the subject of her question. He recovered quickly, however; continuing down the hallway and answering her in his usual formal way.

"Indeed it is Miss," Alfred answered, nodding again. "A relic from my younger days; three S's. My last name is Senior, you see. So back home, it was always a bit of a joke that I was called Senor Senior. However, it wasn't until after the birth of my son that the nickname really stuck."

"Oh, you have a son?" Selina said. She supposed it was only to be expected, given his age, but Selina had just never pictured Alfred as a father.

"Yes, I do. Alfred Senior, Junior. So my son was Senor Senior, Junior and I was..."

"Senor Senior, Senior," Selina finished, smiling in amusement.

"Just so, Miss," Alfred nodded, with a faint grin of his own.

"Where is your son now?" the thief asked, but just at that moment, the older man stopped and opened a pair of ornate doors.

"Right through here, Miss," he said, as though he hadn't heard her question. Selina stepped through obediently, watching as Alfred closed the doors behind her. She listened to his footsteps fade away before turning back to the room.

It was actually just a small entryway with another set of doors at the other end. Windows lined one wall, looking out over the grounds, and two sofas sat side by side against the opposite one. Hanging plants were distributed at different points along the windowed wall with two small, potted shrubs at either end.

Selina took a second to look out at the manor's grounds, wondering just how much of the surrounding land Possible owned. As she eventually turned back toward the second set of doors, she noticed the faint sound of music drifting to her from the room beyond. Classical music, she realized as she drew closer. A little surprising since Kim didn't strike her as the classical type.

With this mind-set in place, imagine the dark-haired woman's surprise when she opened the door and found the aforementioned millionaire actually playing said music. Indeed there was Kimberly Ann Possible, high-society airhead, playing Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

The red-head's back was to her, so Selina closed the doors quietly and leaned back against them, just listening to the music. Kim's fingers moved easily over the keys, perfectly controlled and graceful. Yet as the piece came to an end, the woman slumped forward slightly. Her shoulders sagged as if a heavy weight rested upon her.

"Kim?" Selina finally called softly. She didn't want to startle the other woman, but her sudden change in demeanor was a little upsetting. "Are you alright?"

Kim Possible turned toward the thief, the defeated air from mere seconds ago now replaced with the usual smile.

"Selina," Kim greeted her friend happily. "Sorry, I didn't hear you come in."

"Your playing was so beautiful, I didn't want to interrupt," the thief smiled back, walking over to stand beside the piano.

"Heh, millions of dollars in private schools and THIS is the only thing that's stuck with me," Kim chuckled a little. "Of course if you want me to play anything else, you'd be out of luck. The only other song I know is 'Chopsticks'."

"You looked kind of upset," Selina replied, ignoring the millionaire's joking as she sat down beside her on the bench.

"Oh, I'm fine," Kim answered quickly, waving off any concern. "Just kinda tired is all. I didn't get a whole lot of sleep."

"Because of last night?"

"Partly," the red-head said evasively. "C'mon. Let's walk around the grounds for a bit." She pushed open the large french doors and led the way out into the garden. The conversation ended for a little while as the two women took their time walking along the brick pathway that wound its way through the well-kept flowerbeds.

"So, what do you think?" Selina finally asked.

"About what?"

The thief cocked her head to the side, making it clear that she wasn't buying Kim's innocent act.

"What is it you're looking for?" the millionaire said, looking away toward the woods. "A fling? A steady relationship? I'm not exactly known for the latter."

"I don't know," Selina replied, giving a frustrated shrug. "Couldn't we just try it out and see where it goes?"

"What about your 'business'? Wouldn't getting involved with me make it harder for you if you had to move on?"

"Please, I'm an old hand at this," the thief answered. "I can spin anything to work in my favor. And you can't tell me you're worried about a scandal. You're in the papers almost every other week."

Kim fell silent again. She paused by a small fountain, trailing her hand through the water as Selina stood mutely behind her.

"I..." she started and then stopped. Turning around she looked from Selina to the manor and back, pausing briefly at the necklace hanging around the other woman's neck. "Maybe... it would be okay."

Selina smiled happily, putting a hand on Kim's shoulder. The millionaire let her, taking a step closer to the raven-haired woman and putting a hesitant hand on her arm.

* * *

Back at the manor, Alfred watched from a window as the two figures drew closer and kissed. For a moment he almost seemed to smile, but some other thought kept him from doing so. With a sad shake of his head, the butler turned away.

* * *

Outside, Selina eventually broke the kiss, still smiling as she looked at the red-head. However, Kim's serious expression caught her by surprise.

"What is it?" she asked, feeling a little worried.

"What about your 'hobby'?" Kim suddenly asked. Selina began to pull back, but the millionaire caught her around the waist, holding her still. "I won't ask what it is, just... would you stop if I asked you to?"

Selina looked back at her, struck speechless by the question. Would she stop if Kim asked? She really wasn't sure. It wasn't like she'd need the money, what with the Possible fortune there to keep her comfortable. But it had only been partly about the money to begin with. A lot of it was the thrill. Could she do without that thrill?

The thief looked at the millionaire in silence as she went over everything in her head. Finally she moved, bringing her hand up to rest on the side of Kim's face.

"Yeah," she said at last. "Yeah, I would."

Kim finally did smile, hugging the other woman close. Selina returned the hug just as strongly. She'd told the truth, mostly. She would give up her thieving career, for now. Making it permanent... well, she still wasn't sure she could do that. But for now, she'd keep her word. After her meeting with Wilson tonight, it'd be the straight and narrow for the foreseeable future.

* * *

That night, at precisely nine o'clock, Selina slid quietly through a skylight in warehouse 16. She scanned the room carefully, seeing only two people waiting below her. Deciding that everything was safe, the thief slid down her grapple-line to the floor below, landing silently behind the two men.

"Nice night," she said, alerting them to her prescence. Neither man showed any surprise as they turned to face her. Selina, however, was more than a little shocked. Wilson she recognized, even though he seemed to be wearing some kind of dull blue and orange body armor. Who she didn't expect to see was...

"Fiske?"

"Indeed, Miss Go. Good evening to you."

"But... but I stole one of the statues from you."

"Of course you did," Monty Fiske replied calmly. "Mr. Wilson told you I wanted to avoid any attention from these heists. How better than to be one of the victims myself."

"Your money," Wilson said, holding up a briefcase. "The statues?"

Selina looked between the two skeptically for a moment before opening the duffel bag she was carrying and producing one of the squat, wooden totems. Wilson took it, passing it to the Englishman to examine.

"Excellent," Fiske grinned after looking it over. Walking over to a nearby table he set the statue down next to yet another similar piece. "You've done a most exceptional job, Miss Go. You are a most talented and unique person. So, I DO hope you'll accept my apologies for my chosen course of action."

Selina was about to ask just what he was talking about, but the words died in her throat as Wilson stepped forward, pulling a hidden blade from his belt.

"You must understand, I can't have any loose ends for our caped friend to follow," Fiske went on as Selina backed away from Wilson. "Obtaining these statues is most important to me. Too important to take ANY risks."

"In that case, you might want to call off your homicidal employee," Selina said quickly. Wilson paused and Fiske raised a questioning eyebrow. "I may be an amateur in the whole 'thief-for-hire' scene, but I'm not an idiot."

Selina tossed the duffel bag at Wilson's feet. The man carefully knelt down to look inside. Turning back to Fiske, he turned the bag over, letting two bricks fall out.

"Very clever, Miss Go," Fiske said, a trace of annoyance in his voice. "But I'm sure you will tell us where the remaining two statues are. Mr. Wilson can be VERY persuasive."

That definitely wasn't the reaction Selina had been looking for. As Wilson advanced on her again, the thief fell back into a defensive stance. She was far from defenseless and now that they had to keep her alive, Selina was hoping she'd have enough of an edge to escape.

As she threw her first punch, however, those hopes quickly dwindled. Wilson dodged the blow almost lazily. She tried to catch him off guard by bringing the same arm back to elbow him in the head. The one-eyed man caught her arm easily, his grip like iron as he yanked her around and gave a painful kick to her midsection.

Stumbling back, Selina had to accept the fact that she was grossly out-classed in this fight. Calling once again on her ace-in-the-hole, the thief's hands glowed green as she swiped at Wilson again. The man gave a satisfying hiss of pain as he blocked her attack, only to get burned. Unfortunately, her victory was short-lived.

Instead of retreating, Wilson rushed forward. Taken by surprise, Selina tried to bring her glowing hands between them, but her opponent proved too fast for her. He caught both her wrists in his hands and brought his forehead down to bash into her own.

Stars burst into her vision and she desperately tried to yank yer hands free, but Wilson's grip remained firm. A knee to her gut sent the wind rushing from her lungs, but it was almost immediately forgotten when Wilson spun behind her, twisting her arm behind her back and shoving upwards. Selina felt a sickening pop in her shoulder and her mind exploded in agony.

The glow around her hands winked out as the thief slumped to the floor, cradling her now useless left arm. She felt Wilson roll her over and place a boot on her throat, but the pain kept her from forming a coherent thought, leaving her defenseless.

"Now, 'Catwoman'," Wilson said to her, leaning down with the knife in his hand. "Let's talk about where you put those statues."

Suddenly a black shape plunged through one of the skylights. The sound of shattering glass brought both men's attention to the figure that fell through, landing heavily on the floor in a crouch. In the shadowy interior of the warehouse, the intruder at first appeared as no more than a large, dark shape. Yet as it stood to its full height, the silhouette of two pointy ears and a long cloak made his identity apparent.

"Detective," Fiske greeted the figure darkly. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you showed up."

"It's over Fiske," the Bat growled, staring the man down. "Make it easy on yourself and give up."

"Come now, Detective. Surely you know me better than that. Wilson?"

In the blink of an eye, Wilson had turned from Selina and sent his knife flying straight at the dark figure's chest. The Bat's arm flashed across in front of him, snatching the blade out of the air and tossing it away over his shoulder.

Selina's vision swam as she watched Wilson launch himself at the Bat, the two going into a whirlwind of movement that would have left the thief dizzy if she wasn't so already. Groggily she turned her eyes toward Fiske. The Englishman's full attention was on the fight; Selina seemed to have been forgotten for the moment.

That was fine by her. Summoning her strength, the thief began dragging herself across the floor. She wasn't too clear on where she was going other than away from Fiske and Wilson. Selina winced with every movement, but she kept on moving, dragging herself inch by inch until her hand bumped something.

Looking up she recognized the table that Fiske had set the two statues on. Looking further up she saw those same two statues being stuffed into a bag by the same ninja that had attacked her the other night. The black-clad woman had paused in her work as she looked down at Selina. The two stared at each other for a few moments before the ninja finally seemed to come to a decision. Hopping quietly down from the table, she reached out toward Selina.

The thief's eyes widened and she weakly slapped at the other woman's hands, convinced that she intended to finish what she'd started the other night. The ninja caught her by the wrist, bringing a finger to her mask in a shushing gesture.

"This is just a taste of what awaits those who serve the Demon," the ninja whispered to Selina, gingerly taking hold of her dislocated arm. "Remember it well."

Then, without warning, she twisted Selina's arm upward. There was another pop and another explosion of pain. Selina cried out in agony, cradling her arm to her again. Yet, as the pain subsided a little, she found she could move her arm again.

"NO!"

Selina looked up at the sound of Fiske's voice, following his line of sight up to where the ninja was slipping through a window with the bag containing the two statues. Wilson also caught sight of the escaping woman, and for a split second he seemed to ponder abandoning his current fight and pursuing her.

That was all the opportunity the Bat needed, slipping past Wilson's defenses to deliver a hard strike to the man's sternum. Wilson flew backwards into one of the support pillars. His head cracked against the concrete and he slumped to the floor.

"It's over," the Bat said, turning back to Fiske. "Your statues are gone and you can't beat me without Slade."

The seething Englishman looked away from the window the ninja had escaped through to meet the dark figure's gaze. Taking a moment to calm himself, Fiske straightened his tie and brushed some dust from his suit.

"Quite true," he said evenly. "Wilson was my 'muscle', as it were. Then again, I've never been the type to put all my eggs in one basket. Mr. Moss; if you would be so kind."

A nearby pile of crates shook briefly and then exploded. The Bat grunted in pain as a large piece caught the vigilante from behind, sending the caped figure tumbling to the ground.

Selina watched with wide eyes as something huge lumbered from the wreckage. As it came into the light, she could see scaly skin, large claws, and a mouthful of wicked looking teeth.

"You remember your old friend Mr. Moss, surely," Fiske grinned.

"Croc," the Bat growled, already back on his feet, though holding an aching shoulder.

**"Fiske didn't think you'd show,"** the towering mutant rumbled in an impossibly deep, gravelly voice. **"To be honest, I always hoped he'd be wrong."**

Croc smiled evilly as it advanced. The Bat immediately whipped two batarangs at the monster that buried themselves in his hide, but Croc took no notice as he continued to advance. Looking to put a little distance between them, the vigilante fired a grapple-line at one of the support pillars. However, the mutated criminal lunged forward, hitting the pillar with a crushing blow that caused some of the beams overhead to groan in protest and knocking the grapple off its mooring.

The Bat was suddenly falling earthward once more, crashing painfully into another pile of crates. Croc was on him before he could extricate himself from the debris. With a powerful sweep of one massive arm, the monster sent the dark figure flying across the warehouse to bounce off another support pillar.

As the caped vigilante tried to clear his head, Croc walked smugly over to tower above the downed figure. Selina could almost see the large mutant trying to decide just how to finish him off.

"You see, Detective," Fiske said, coming to stand over the Bat. "I believe in being prepared for every eventuality. And now it is YOU who must accept defeat. Or do you have another trick up your sleeve? Perhaps some device that will snatch victory from the jaws of oblivion?"

The Bat looked up at the two villains, his teeth clenched in pain... and grinned.

"Just one."

The caped figure pulled a small device from his belt and pressed the button. The warehouse was suddenly rocked by explosions. Fiske and Croc looked up as the ceiling of the building began to blossom in flames and then collapse. The Bat took advantage of the distraction to bolt toward Selina.

"C'mon, we've got to get out of here fast," he growled to the thief. Selina could only mumble a reply as the Bat pulled her to her feet and the two ran for the doors, each hindered by their own injuries.

"Leave them," Fiske was shouting to Croc as more explosions sounded through the warehouse. "Get out. Now."

Neither Selina nor the Bat stopped to see if the two escaped or not. They hurled themselves through the front doors, pulling up short as a piece of flaming wreckage crashed down in front of them.

"The lake. GO!"

Selina blindly followed orders, turning toward the dark waters that lapped at the edges of the pier. They'd only taken a few steps before something critical caught fire and the entire warehouse exploded in a ball of flame. The thief and the vigilante were thrown the last several feet, landing with a splash in the water.

Bits of debris rained down around them as Selina broke the surface, treading water as she looked over to the Bat. He seemed to be having trouble staying afloat, however, and suddenly went under completely. Startled, Selina quickly grabbed at his cape to pull him back up.

Gripping him under his arm, the thief struggled over to shore, pulling herself and the Bat onto the rocks that lined the warehouse yard. The vigilante had started to stir a bit by then, fumbling with one of the pouches that lined his belt.

He managed to retrieve something that looked like a small, streamlined walkie-talkie, but his fingers didn't seem to have the strength to hold it. Selina managed to catch the device, handing it back to the dark figure. She was brought up short by the sight of blood seeping out from under his mask.

"... call... help," the Bat mumbled brokenly, managing to grab the hand Selina was holding the communicator in before finally passing out altogether. Not knowing what else to do, the thief obediently pushed the button on the device. A red light on the top started to flash. A homing beacon perhaps?

"Let's hope somebody's listening," Selina muttered to herself. She looked down at the Bat, biting her lip in frustration. It seemed fairly obvious that the man had a head injury. The thief definitely wasn't a big fan of the masked terror, but then again, she also wasn't the type to let someone who'd just saved her life die.

Stiffening her nerve, Selina began moving the man's heavy cape out of the way and...

_"But... that isn't a man."_

Perplexed but still concerned, the thief reached up to slip off the cowl and judge the damage. And as the bat-like headgear pulled away, all thought in Selina's head vanished.

The red hair was different, buzzed-down to only an inch or so, and the features were a little obscured by the blood, but the face was unmistakable.

"Kim?"

Selina wasn't sure how long she sat there, unable to form a coherent sentence as she stared at the woman she'd just spent the afternoon with. The sound of an approaching car dimly registered, but it wasn't until someone cleared their throat and she looked up to see Alfred standing above them, that she was finally able to move.

She was still in a daze as she helped the butler get his employer into the backseat, mumbling a vague explanation of what happened. Alfred simply nodded, getting into the driver's seat and looking up as Selina got in the passenger's side. If he had any objections to her presence, he didn't voice them.

The black car drove away from the burning warehouse as the distant sound of sirens signaled the approach of the fire department. A little further away, a black-clad woman paused on a rooftop, looking down at the duffel bag she carried. The statues within knocked together slightly as she shifted the strap around her shoulder. She now had two of the idols. The thief had the other two. And then there was the OTHER problem. The ninja turned her eyes toward the edges of the city where the black spires of a former mansion could just barely be seen.

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_To be continued..._

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	6. Madman

_Okay, here's the chapter where I'm gonna try throwin' a couple curve balls into the formula. Hopefully it'll keep things interesting._

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**SHADOW OF THE BAT**

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Chapter 6 - Madman

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Silence hung heavily in the car as Alfred began to head out of town. Selina sat mutely beside him, glancing in the rear-view mirror every now and then, as if to remind herself that all of this was real. Kim had not stirred since they laid her out on the backseat. The bleeding from her head seemed to have almost stopped at least, though Selina was still anxious for them to reach wherever they were headed.

"If you would, Miss?"

She'd grown so accustomed to the silence that Alfred's voice made her jump slightly. Looking over she saw that the manservant was holding a strip of cloth out to her. It irked Selina greatly and she considered telling the man just what he could do with it, but Kim was lying unconscious behind her with blood covering half her face. Now was not the time for delays.

Selina reluctantly tied the cloth around her head, covering her eyes. She sat in darkness for another ten or fifteen minutes before she felt the car slow and tilt downward. Turns in their path and the cavernous echo made by the engine made the thief feel as if she were in a parking garage.

Thankfully the car finally slowed to a stop and Alfred opened the door to get out. Taking this as an indication that they'd reached their destination, Selina slipped off the blindfold and got out of the vehicle. The sight that greeted her was breathtaking.

They were on a ledge of rock that dropped off steeply almost directly in front of them. A huge cavern stretched out in every direction around them. Selina could make out some walkways amidst the natural rocky paths. Railed platforms hung from pulleys and strategically placed, hidden lights kept everything just bright enough to keep from falling over any edges. Further down she caught sight of an underground stream running in from a cave into a small pond with some sort of water vehicle moored to a pier.

The sound of the car door brought her out of the state of awe and she hurried over to help Alfred get Kim out of the car. Between the two of them, they carried her onto one of the platforms. Alfred pulled a lever and they began to descend to the cavern floor.

"Over here," the butler instructed, leading Selina to a better lighted section of the place that seemed to be set up as a medical area. They laid Kim on the metal table and Alfred immediately set about cleaning her head wound. The man obviously knew what he was doing and had everything treated and bandaged within minutes.

Selina was too busy staring at the still figure on the bed to notice the butler clean his hands and walk over to her. Taking ahold of her arm, Alfred raised it slightly to examine it. Selina hissed as a sudden pain shot through her shoulder.

"What are you doing?" she yelped, snatching her arm away from the man.

"Begging your pardon Miss Goh, but I was assessing the damage to your arm," Alfred stated curtly, his stiff, formal demeanor in full force. "You appeared to be holding it oddly so I assumed it had been injured in some way."

"I'm fine. What I'd like to - **AGH!**" Selina didn't even finish her sentence before the butler had suddenly grabbed her arm again. This time with enough force to make it burn in agony.

"I disagree with your diagnosis Miss," Alfred said calmly, keeping the painful pressure on her limb. "Now perhaps you'd allow me to treat your condition and save us both some time."

"**OKAY, OKAY,**" Selina shouted in surrender, reluctantly removing her shirt after Alfred had released her. "But maybe you'd do ME a favor and tell me just WHAT is going on."

Alfred prodded her shoulder for awhile before turning to retrieve some bandages.

"It's not my place to say, Miss."

"Not your place?" Selina repeated, looking at him as though he were crazy. "You're IN the place. The PLACE is right here," she gestured incredulously around the cave.

"I'm sorry, but you will have to direct all your questions to Miss Possible," Alfred replied, seemingly unruffled by Selina's comments. "I am not in a position to divulge any information that my employer may see fit to withhold."

The butler finished wrapping the bandages snugly around Selina's shoulder, snipping off the excess and securing the end.

"And suppose I were to _insist_," the thief said dangerously, the last word lowering into a growl.

"Are you threatening me Miss," Alfred asked, raising an eyebrow. "I really don't think that's a good idea."

Selina stood as tall as she could, a hint of green beginning to dance around her clenched fists.

"Oh really?" she shot back ominously.

"Really."

Selina froze at the voice behind her. Alfred's expression never changed as his eyes shifted to look past her.

"Good evening Miss. Shall I make some tea?"

"Yes, Alfred. Thank you."

The butler nodded respectfully and walked away toward a set of stairs leading up and away from the two. Selina didn't turn around immediately, taking some time to get herself together for the inevitable conversation. She wasn't sure what she expected to see when she did, but the woman staring back at her wasn't it.

Kim was still pale, sweat standing out on her forehead, and looking none too steady on her feet. Her eyes, however, were fixed unerringly on Selina, hard and cold as ice.

"You had some questions?" the millionaire asked, her voice like stone.

"What is this?" Selina asked after a brief pause. Her voice held a bewildered quality, but she met Kim's glare head-on.

"Could you be more specific," the red-head shot back mockingly.

"More specific, huh," Selina answered with a growl of her own. "ALL of this. What is it all ABOUT? You dress up in some bat-suit and run around beating people up? You have THIS place set up like some kinda fun-house/lair? You saw my face on that first night. What's the last couple days supposed to have been? Some kinda GAME? How LONG has this been going ON? Is this some kind of rich-girl fling for kicks? What the HELL do you think you're DOING out there?"

Kim suddenly took a step forward, placing her face mere inches from Selina's, cutting off the thief's rant.

"We all have our _'hobbies'_. DON'T we, Catwoman?"

Selina found herself at a loss for words as Kim brushed by her, seemingly dismissing the conversation before the thief could come up with a proper retort. The red-head walked over to a large bank of computer monitors, not bothering to look back at Selina as she started typing away on the keyboard.

"When did Fisk first contact you about stealing the idols?" the millionaire asked flatly, her tone all business.

"What...? He didn't. It was the other guy with the eye-patch," Selina answered, thrown off by the sudden shift in mood.

"Slade Wilson," Kim clarified, pulling up a picture on the main screen. It was the same dark, orange and black body armor Wilson had been wearing, only here his face was covered by a similarly colored mask.

"Who is he, anyway?" Selina asked, walking a little closer to the computer bank as she looked up at the monitor. One thing she had to admit, the man cut an imposing figure with that one-eyed mask of his.

"Slade Wilson, aka Deathstroke," Kim tapped a couple buttons, shrinking the picture to a mugshot in the corner while information scrolled up the side of the screen. "He's one of the top mercenaries in the world. Assassination, kidnapping, terrorism; you name it, he's done it. You could probably count the number of times he's failed a job on one hand. Fisk must really want those idols if he's hiring people like Slade and Croc."

"Croc?" Selina repeated, looking away from the screen. "That was that monster."

"Yes," Kim nodded, pulling up another file with a few keystrokes. "Gil 'Killer Croc' Moss used to be a low-level bag-boy for some of the Gotham crime families. He suffered from a variation of epidermolytic hyperkeratosis. Eventually stepped on the wrong toes and got dumped in a lake outside of town. Lucky for him somebody found him before he drowned, but something in the water reacted with his condition. Atavism is the best way to describe it. Some form of mutation or devolution."

Even as an image on a computer monitor, the scaled monster sent a shiver down Selina's spine. It was like looking at predators in the zoo.

"And what about Fisk," she finally asked. "Who is he and why does he want those stupid idols?"

"Fisk is.... complicated," Kim said after a brief moment of silence. "I'm not sure why he wants the idols. The only things I've been able to find out about them is that they originated in Japan and had something to do with a ninja clan called the Yamanouchi."

"Ninja? Like the girl who took the idols?"

"It DOES seem a little too convenient to be a coincidence," the red-head agreed, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.

"That still doesn't explain why some organized crime boss wants a bunch of old artifacts badly enough to kill for them," Selina reiterated in a frustrated tone.

"Fisk is a little more than just some crime boss," Kim sighed, her fingers moving on the keyboard again. "Take a look here."

Selina obediently looked up at the screen which now held a photograph of five men seated around a table in some kind of bar. A small banner in the corner of the screen labeled the picture as being from 1942.

"Third man from the left," Kim clarified.

The thief looked closer. Indeed, the man was dressed in an old pilot's outfit and was the spitting image of Monty Fisk.

"Okay, so it's Fisk's old man," Selina shrugged. "What about it?"

Kim didn't answer. Again she typed on the keyboard, pulling up another picture. This one was labeled 1919 and had three men standing outside a newly constructed building.

"The one on the right."

Again Selina followed Kim's instructions and found another face identical to Fisk's. This couldn't have been the same man from the first photo; not with over twenty years difference. Could three generations of fathers and sons look exactly alike? Before she could ponder it too long, Kim changed the picture yet again.

This time it was from 1864 and showed just one man. Again it was Fisk, now dressed in a Union officer's uniform and with a different hair style, but it was still the exact same face. Selina couldn't speak. Her mind kept trying to come up with explanations because what she was thinking couldn't POSSIBLY be real.

"But... how?" she finally stammered after she'd gotten her voice back.

"I'm not sure," Kim answered, shutting off the screen. "Everyone who works for him only knows him as Montgomery Fisk. Only a few have any inkling of something more to the man, and almost all of them are so fiercely loyal they simply won't talk. My research hasn't uncovered any concrete information. Just a name that keeps popping up over and over again. Ra's al Ghul."

"This... this is just too much," Selina said, collapsing onto a nearby chair and putting her head in her hands. "I was just supposed to lift a few things and be done with it. I gotta get outta here and back to Metropolis."

"You're not going anywhere at the moment," Kim replied immediately. "Fisk will want you dead more than ever now. You'll stay here until I take care of this."

"Oh really?" Selina grinned, sensing an opportunity to reaccquire the 'high ground'. "Are you sure you're not keeping me here just to continue what we started?"

"Started?" Kim repeated in perfect monotone.

"You know; _us_," Selina purred, walking slowly up to the millionaire. The thief leaned in close, letting her face hover just a few centimeters away from Kim's. The red-head, however, showed no signs of reacting.

"There is no 'us'," Kim answered, her expression hard as granite.

"That's not what you said in the garden," Selina shot back smoothly.

"I needed to keep you close," the red-head replied, not missing a beat. "So you could lead me to Fisk."

"If it was all an act, what about that night after the opera," the thief pushed. "What about _this_?" She pulled the necklace out over her collar, holding it up at eye-level.

Kim didn't answer. Instead her hand shot out suddenly, grabbing hold of the green pendant and yanking it toward her. Selina was pulled along too, the chain still being around her neck. Kim held the necklace so that the jade stone was right in Selina's line of vision. Using her thumb, she popped the thing out of it's mount and sent it clattering to the floor. Underneath was a small wafer of circuitry with a blinking red light.

"A tracking device," Selina said numbly. Something in her stomach seemed to drop into her boots.

"I needed something you'd be SURE to carry with you and a short amount of time to plant it. The best way was to make myself 'special' to you. But that won't be necessary now."

There was no remorse or sympathy in Kim's voice. Her expression never softened and that cold glint in her eye never warmed. She simply released her hold on the necklace, letting Selina stumble back a couple steps. The thief, for her part, was feeling a little light-headed. She wasn't sure how she felt other than numb. Of course she tried to maintain her aloof manner, but she still put a hand on one of the consoles to steady herself.

"Alfred will set up a guest room for you. You'll have to stick to the Manor and the grounds until this is over," Kim said, brushing by Selina as she headed for the Manor exit.

"No," Selina shot back after a brief pause. She may have been shaken, but she refused to give the millionaire any possible satisfaction by acting too hurt. "Fisk double-crossed me. I want in on taking him down." Kim gave the thief a belittling stare, but Selina remained resolute. "I'm helping and you can't stop me. After all, I COULD tell everyone who you really are."

"Could you?" Kim said, scoffing at her attempts at blackmail. "You'd tell everyone that rich, airheaded little Kimberly Possible is dressing up as a bat and fighting crime? Who do you think would believe you? Especially if they were to ask just HOW you came by that information."

Selina, however, refused to be put down.

"I wouldn't have to cooperate. I could make things REALLY difficult for you."

"And I could lock you up and put you under sedation until I'm finished with you," Kim shot back venomously. "But you have a point," she relented after a second. "You DO have a stake in this and your cooperation would be a lot easier than keeping you here by force. But you will follow MY orders, understand?"

"Fine," Selina growled, happy to have won even a small victory. "So what do we do first?"

"First we get some sleep," Kim answered matter-of-factly. "I expect we could both use it. Tomorrow I'll see about following up on one of our leads."

"What lead?"

"The ninja," Kim replied. "That night she attacked you she dropped this."

Kim pulled a piece of crumpled paper from one of the pouches on her belt.

"What is it?" Selina asked as she took the paper and uncrinkled it.

"It's a visitor's pass," the millionaire said, her voice even darker than usual. "For Arkham Asylum."

A tingle ran up the thief's spine. You didn't have to live in Gotham to know about Arkham. The institute was notorious for it's penchant for horror stories. Whether it was the inmates themselves, crooked doctors, or worker suicides; the Asylum was often in the news. The rumors were even worse, making the place sound like a literal Hell on earth.

"Who was she visiting there?" Selina asked, handing back the pass.

"Hopefully not who I think," Kim replied cryptically, turning around and stalking away.

Selina held back, taking another look around the cave. She'd always felt there was more to Kim than met the eye, but even in her wildest imaginings she'd never have envisioned THIS. There were more computers and machines set into the rock walls, making her wonder just how they were hooked up. There were cases containing more costumes resembling the one Kim wore, though these looked specialized for different purposes. There was a collection of exceptionally realistic red wigs against one wall, explaining how the millionaire had shoulder-length hair yesterday and the buzz-cut she sported now. There was even a large, vault-like door closing off one section of the cave, making Selina wonder just what was behind it.

"Pardon me, Miss," Alfred spoke up behind her. "If you'll follow me, I'll show you your room."

"She's really got it all set-up down here, doesn't she," Selina commented wryly as Alfred led the way up the stairs he'd used earlier.

"Miss Possible is a very meticulous young lady," the butler replied. "She likes to be as prepared as possible."

"Ready for any situation," the thief said quietly to herself, looking down at the disassembled necklace in her hand. Alfred half glanced back at her, as though wanting to say something, but remained silent as he showed her the way to her room.

After Alfred had left, the door clicking shut behind him, Selina simply stood in the middle of the dark room for minutes on end. Her mind went round and round as she tried to process everything that had happened. Eventually she gave up, barely managing to get her suit off before falling into bed.

The silky sheets slid smoothly over her skin as she nestled down into the mattress. She almost felt like she might cry a couple times, but her pride wouldn't allow it. So she just lay there in bed until she finally drifted off to sleep. She dreamed again; of being frozen by Kim's icy glare, of being left alone in an infinite sea of nothingness, and of that same laughter that had haunted her previous nightmare. Evil, insane, and waiting for her.

-

* * *

-

Most of the next day passed rather uneventfully for Selina. Kim was gone by the time she'd woken up. Alfred would only tell her that she'd gone off on business and would return sometime that afternoon. The thief still felt a little out of sorts, so she didn't push him for any more information. The butler whipped her up a superb breakfast and she spent most of the morning exploring the grounds.

She had finished lunch and had been relaxing in the study when she heard the heavy knocker thumping against the front door. Selina got up and strolled over to the doorway, looking out as Alfred answered the door.

"Hello Alfred," a faint, yet familiar voice drifted back to her.

"Good day, sir," the butler answered, pulling the door open wider to allow Felix to roll himself in. "So nice to see you again."

"Thanks. Is Kim around?"

"I regret that Miss Possible is not in at the present time, sir. I believe she planned to be back around this time, but I'm sure you understand how erratic her schedule can become."

"Sure," Felix said knowingly. "I'll wait for a while, if you don't mind."

"Not at all sir. Can I get you anything?"

"No thanks, Alfred."

"Very good sir. Please make yourself comfortable."

Felix nodded as Alfred turned and walked away, heading off toward whatever it was he did around the manor all day. Selina watched the young man shake his head, smiling nostalgically at the old servant. He started to wheel himself down the hall, pausing when he caught sight of the thief leaning in the doorway.

"Selina," he said, smiling brightly. "What on earth are you doing here?"

If this question phased Selina at all, she didn't show it. But then, she'd become very good at twisting the truth on a moment's notice.

"Oh, visiting," she answered, smiling back at him. "Turns out you were absolutely right about Kim. She called me up the next morning to apologize and invited me over for lunch. Turns out we really hit it off."

"That's great," Felix replied, seeming a little surprised as well. "Did you come by today to see her too?"

"Actually, I've been here all night," Selina said, gesturing for him to follow her into the study where she sat back down in one of the large armchairs. "She invited me out for some shopping yesterday and we came back here for dinner. We ended up going so late that she insisted I sleep in one of the guest rooms."

"Well, I'm glad to see you were able to meet her more pleasant side," he laughed. "Do you know where she went today?"

"Afraid not," Selina replied. "She was gone by the time I got up."

"Hmm, surprisingly energetic of her," Felix said wryly. "She usually can't be bothered to be on time for anything."

"Sounds about right," she smirked. "Oh, I saw your picture." The thief pointed over to one of the framed photos on the desk. A teenage Kim waved happily at the camera with three others gathered around her. The blonde boy, Ron, a black girl smirking slyly, and a young Felix, all in graduation robes.

"Heh, our high school graduation," Felix grinned, looking at the picture. "That's Monique Fox there," he said, pointing to the other girl. "She was one of Kim's best friends. Works for her now."

"You all seem pretty tight," Selina added, hoping to urge a little more information out of Felix.

"Yeah, though I was really more R... Ron's friend than Kim's."

"Kim... told me a little bit about Ron," Selina said, her excitement rising a bit at the prospect of hearing a little more about Possible's past.

"She did?" Felix sounded surprised. "She usually doesn't like to talk about him."

"She said they grew up together," Selina continued. "Were practically inseparable. What happened Felix? Do you know?"

"I..." the man hesitated, seeming unsure of whether or not to continue. "I don't know everything. When Kim came back after... her parents, she pretty much cut herself off from everyone. We were all worried about it, but Ron was starting to really lose his mind. He tried over and over to get her to talk to him, but she just wouldn't open up."

_"He tried talking to me, but I wouldn't really say much back."_

_"I made some poor choices and Ron got hurt because of them."_

Kim's words echoed in the back of Selina's mind as she listened to Felix. But he still hadn't said what she really wanted to know.

"What happened, Felix?" she asked. "Why'd he leave?"

"He... he didn't leave," Felix answered with a sigh. "He died."

Selina was left dumb-struck for a moment. Dead?

"How?" she finally asked, her voice soft.

"You ever read about the Joker?"

Selina doubted that there was anyone who HADN'T heard about that maniac. He had terrorized Gotham for weeks before being caught and shipped off to the looney bin. The press, of course, had eaten it up. National networks covered the story, experts went on and on about his mental state and motivations, interviews with witnesses were all over the television and internet. The trial had been just as huge. Everyone wanted the freak on Death Row as soon as possible, and when the plea of insanity passed, the courtroom had exploded in chaos.

In fact, that was the most popular piece of footage that came out of the entire media circus. The courtroom in the midst of a full-on riot, the judge pounding his gavel for order, the bailiffs desperately trying to hold the crowd, and the Joker sitting in his seat, laughing his head off.

"You mean... he killed him?" Selina asked, almost afraid to here the answer.

"I still have no idea how Ron got down there," Felix answered sadly. "It was just a day before they caught him. The... body... wasn't even recognizable when they found it. He'd been beaten to a pulp.... with a crowbar. That maniac left him lying there on the floor and then blew up the building."

"The Joker," Selina said, hardly believing what she was hearing, "he confessed to it?"

"Yeah," Felix replied, a mirthless smirk on his face. "But he didn't need to. It had his usual calling card."

Selina cocked her head in question.

"He cut the mouth," Felix clarified, drawing two fingers upwards from the corners of his lips. "Into a smile."

"My God," the thief whispered, putting a hand over her mouth.

"Kim took it real hard," Felix continued sadly. "I think she felt guilty over not talking to him. Like she was responsible somehow. We were all afraid she'd shut herself away even more then, but she didn't."

"No?"

"No. She actually started going out more than ever. Just about every social event she was invited to she'd make an appearance, but it wasn't the same."

"Why?" Selina asked.

"The Kim you know... well, that wasn't how she always was," Felix answered, again sounding hesitant to continue. "Before her parents died she was kind, thoughtful, down to earth, and always putting everything she had into excelling at whatever it was she was doing. Now-a-days she only seems to be interested in parties and expensive things. It's just not like her."

"I'm glad to hear that you remember me so fondly," Kim's voice from the doorway brought both of their heads up suddenly. "But I think you might be seeing things a little too nostalgically."

"Kim," Felix greeted her enthusiastically, though it was obvious he was wondering the same thing as Selina. Just how long had Kim been standing there. "I wanted to talk to you about the museum exhibit."

"Oh c'mon now, Felix," Kim said, that lazy, unconcerned tone of voice carefully in place. "I went to all the trouble of funding this whole thing; don't tell me that losing one moldy old idol is going to derail everything."

"It's not about the theft," Felix replied. "It's Victor. Vivian's been having some health issues and Victor wants to cut his visit short and head to Metropolis to have her looked at."

"Is it that serious?" Kim asked. "I mean, there's hospitals here too."

"Nothing seems to serious right now, but you know Victor. He can't stand it if Vivian's upset in anyway. As for Metropolis.... well, with Star Labs there, Vic's pretty much convinced that it's the bright gleaming beacon of the civilized world. We could insist on him staying, but I guarantee that his mood will get so foul that he'll be of no help anyway."

"Eh, okay," Kim said, shrugging. "Whatever you guys think is best."

"Thanks Kim. I figured you wouldn't mind, but I wanted to ask you anyway. It's your money after all."

Felix waved to Selina as he wheeled himself out of the study with Kim walking along behind him. Alfred was on hand to open the front door for him of course, though the young man paused outside.

"Listen Kim," Felix said slowly, looking up at the red-head. "I know we were never as close as you and Monique or... well, I mean if you ever wanted to talk about things; I'm always here, y'know?"

Kim looked at him silently for a few seconds, no discernible emotion.

"Felix," she finally said, looking the boy square in the eyes. "I think you're going to have to accept that sometimes people just change."

Without another word, Kim closed the heavy front doors. Sighing wearily, Felix Renton headed back down toward the waiting car.

"We're heading out after dinner," Kim said curtly as she passed Selina in the hall. "You'll need to go in costume, so make sure you've got everything ready."

"Kim," Selina called after her, making the red-head pause and turn around. "How long were you standing there?"

"Long enough," Kim answered evenly.

"And that's it?" the thief said, disbelief in her voice. "No yelling, no death-glares? You're not mad?"

Kim stared at Selina for a moment and then began walking back down the hallway toward her.

"In order for me to be angry, that would require me to be surprised by your actions. We've already established that you're a thief and a sneak, therefore your actions were entirely expected. So how could I be mad?"

Selina bristled at the millionaire's tone, getting ready to give her a few words on just who else was a 'sneak'. However, Kim cut her off before she could start.

"Besides," the red-head continued, turning to walk off once more. "It saved me the trouble of explaining everything to you before we meet him tonight."

"Meet? Meet who?"

"That's what the visitor's pass to Arkham was for. Our mysterious ninja was posing as a psychiatrist in order to meet with the Joker."

Selina was stopped dead in her tracks. All she could do was watch Kim walk off toward the stairs while her mind frantically tried to make SOME kind of sense out of all this.

-

* * *

-

True to her word, Kim and Selina left directly after dinner. The thief slipped into her outfit quickly (which Alfred had cleaned, of course) and turned to watch as Kim typed a few things into the computer and then went to put on her own costume.

The long-haired wig was set with the others and the black suit was pulled on piece by piece. It was like watching one of those robots on an assembly line. Every movement was measured and precise. Kim's nimble hands would slip something on, quickly check the catches, and then move to the next piece. Lastly was the cape and cowl. Even though she knew who it was under there, Selina still shivered slightly when that masked face turned toward her.

"Get in," Kim said in that growl of hers, hitting a button on one of the consoles. Lights clicked on to their left, revealing a large, black car. Well, more of a cross between a car and a tank, really. Selina could tell just by looking at it that the thing was armored to the gills.

Kim strode purposefully over and climbed into the driver's seat, Selina clambering in beside her a little hesitantly. The roof and windshield slid back and shut over their heads as Kim started the vehicle up. The thief felt the rumbling of powerful motors all around her, giving a small squeak as the car suddenly shot forward up a small ramp and then out through a door that clanged shut behind them.

"So, are we headed to Arkham," Selina finally asked, breaking the silence.

"Not yet," Kim replied without looking at her. "A friend of mine is setting up the meeting for us. We've got to meet him first."

"And could you tell me who this friend is?" the thief pushed, curious as to who could get someone dressed as a bat into a heavily guarded institution. For a minute it seemed like Kim wasn't going to answer, but she finally decided that Selina would have to know sooner or later.

"He's a cop," she said, simply. "That's all you need to know for now."

The thief really didn't like that answer. She was already wary of cops for obvious reasons, and a costumed vigilante taking her to see one didn't help matters at all.

They were just getting near the edge of town when Kim turned off the road, pulling the car into yet another hide-out and informing Selina that they'd be going the rest of the way via the rooftops. This suited the thief just fine as it was her usual means of travel anyway. Plus it would help her nerves immensely not to be in such close quarters with Kim.

The two were soon running and swinging over the roofs of Gotham, the Bat with those high-tech grapple-lines of hers and Selina with her whip. The cat-burglar had to admit that Kim definitely knew what she was doing. Selina kept up with her, but only just, and she was constantly fighting not to fall behind.

Kim led the way to the police station, the two of them landing on the roof to find someone waiting for them.

"There you are," the bear of a man barked in a gruff voice. He wore a battered overcoat over a tired looking shirt and tie. His hair and mustache, once brown, were graying with age, but the eyes that glared out from behind his glasses were as sharp as ever.

"Commissioner Barkin," the Bat greeted. "Is everything ready?"

Selina was glad for her mask. It hid her look of total astonishment. 'A cop' was bad enough, but the Commissioner?

"Do you have any idea the strings I had to pull to set this up," Barkin growled, ignoring Kim's question. "I'll admit that you've done a hell of a lot for us, but this kinda stuff is pushing it. And who's this now?" he pointed at Selina. "Am I gonna have you costumed types running all over my city now? Just who is she?"

"I can't go into it now, but she's with me. You're just going to have to trust me. You know I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important, Jim," Kim replied, calmly.

Commissioner Barkin looked angrily between the two, but finally just 'hmmph-ed' in frustration.

"Fine. Everything's set. The Joker will be moved to visiting room five. The orderlies will leave, but you'll have to deal with the cameras yourself."

"I've got that covered," the Bat nodded. "Thank you. I'll let you know if I find out anything more."

"You'd better," Barkin growled, staring down the masked vigilante. "I stuck out my neck big-time for you when we brought that maniac in. Just don't you forget that."

"Never," Kim answered, surprising Selina with the truly grateful tone in her voice. It also seemed to quell Barkin's temper. The Commissioner sighed, adjusting his glasses.

"Fine, fine," he grumbled. "Get going then. You've got about half an hour before he's scheduled to be there."

The Bat nodded, turned and lept from the roof with Selina following close behind. Once they were back in the car, the thief finally spoke.

"You've got the _Commissioner_ working for you?" she asked incredulously.

"Commissioner Barkin does NOT work for me," Kim snapped back quickly. "I don't play too far out of his rules and he provides me with info on police evidence and witnesses. With the amount of corruption inside the force, sometimes it's hard to know who to trust. I provide him with a means of going outside the usual channels."

"Mutually beneficial relationship," Selina smirked. "Lovely."

Kim glanced over at her darkly, but didn't respond. The two lapsed into silence for the rest of the trip until Arkham finally came into view.

Selina was almost reminded of Possible Manor at first. The sprawling mansion with it's towers was much in the same style. The similarities ended there, however. Where the Manor loomed, Arkham skulked. The building sat upon it's lonely hill like a vulture perched on a carcass.

"There's a way in on the south wall," Kim said, stopping the car a good distance from the asylum. The two made there way around to the south side where the Bat paused, putting a hand to the side of her head. "Oracle, we're in position. Joker's going to be in visiting room five. Get me a window."

_"Accessing Arkham's security net now,"_ a voice only Kim could here came through her communicator. _"Setting up dummy feeds... and..... got it. You've got your window. The entry point and room five are good to go."_

"Who are you talking to?" Selina asked instinctively.

"A friend."

Getting into the building was easier than Selina had thought it would be. It was still tricky of course; the asylum had some of the heaviest security she'd seen. Thankfully, whoever Kim had been talking to must have taken the video surveillance out of the equation, which made things much simpler. Soon they were slipping into visiting room five where Kim moved them both into a shadowed corner and then put a finger to her lips telling the thief to keep quiet.

They waited less than five minutes before the locks on the door clicked open and a small group of people filed into the room. Six orderlies, all with batons and mace clipped to their belts, all looking very nervous, entered in a wary circle around one other figure.

This one was bound with a heavy straight-jacket, thick straps secured in the back. A wire muzzle was strapped across his face and he shuffled across the floor thanks to the manacles locked tightly around his ankles. A final chain connected the manacles to the front of the straight-jacket in an attempt to even further restrict the man's range of movement.

And yet with all that, the orderlies still seemed deathly afraid of him. They wouldn't go too close to him out of obvious fear, but also didn't seem to want to get too far away in case he might somehow escape a room with one door inside a huge asylum. A type of cage stood in the middle of the room; not with bars, but made of clear plastic. The bound man was ushered in, the orderlies all breathing a visible sigh of relief after the door was locked behind him.

The man sat with his back to them, not moving as the orderlies happily left the room. Not even after the door clicked shut and locked behind them. Kim hadn't moved either and after a moment or two Selina was about to ask if they could get on with it.

She was brought up short, however, when the man finally DID move. He lifted his head and seemed to sniff the air. His head lolled from one side to the other before snapping back into an upright position.

"Someone once told me that I have _bats_ in my _belfry_," he said, his voice making Selina squirm. It was a twisted yet melodious voice. Though not any melody you'd WANT to hear. Still, it wasn't half as bad as the sight of his face when he slowly turned to look over toward where they were standing. The thief wasn't sure what was more disturbing; his chalky-white skin, the mold-green hair, or that leering smile so wide that it was almost a disfigurement.

"And I think they're spreading," he said, chuckling in a giddy, unpleasant kind of way.

"Joker," Kim said darkly, walking out of the corner to stand in front of the plastic cage.

"Oh, are we using the _code-names_ today?" the maniac asked, standing up and cocking his head to the side. "Ah, because of the _company_ I assume," he added as Selina came out to stand a few feet behind Kim. The thief decided right there and then that the less time spent with that grinning lunatics eyes on you, the better.

"Who's been coming to see you recently?"

"Now, now Batgirl; oops, sorry. _Woman_," the Joker smiled as he corrected himself. "Where are your manners? Introductions _first_. After having nothing else to look at but big, burly orderlies for over a year I'm practically _frantic_ to meet someone of the fairer sex."

"You already have," Kim growled, ignoring his request. "A woman came to visit you. Who was she? What did she want?"

"It's always_ business_ with you Batsy," the Joker sighed, turning back toward Kim. "You need to relax once in awhile... put your feet up... _smile_ more."

"Your _visitor_, Joker," Kim repeated, her voice darkening even more.

"Oh, you mean my shrink?" the mad-man replied, sounding suddenly helpful. "Yes, she's helped me out _immensely_. In fact, she said I could go home today. Yup, back to a full-fledged, giving member of society. So you can just go _right_ ahead and let me outta here."

"I'm not here to play your games, Joker," the Bat snapped.

"Oh, but of _course_ you are," the madman laughed. "C'mon Bats, you know me well enough. EVERYTHING'S a game, that's the whole _point_. You knew before coming down here that you'd have to 'play my games' if you wanted to get anything outta me."

The Bat glared at the grinning maniac, walking closer to the cage until she was looking him straight in the eye.

"And what game IS it?" she growled. The Joker clicked his tongue disapprovingly.

"Don't be so _negative_," he chided. "I'm trying to help you out here. All I want, is to promote a little _confrontation_. Like the shrinks say; no problem can be solved without confronting it first. You..." he shifted his gaze to Selina, urging her forward with motions of his head. "You probably know 'er pretty well if she's bringin' ya here. Did she tell you about our _problem_?"

"...Yes," Selina answered after a pause. She half expected Kim to tell her to back off, but she was too busy glaring fixedly at the Joker.

"Oh _good_," the madman said, nodding. "Yes, a sad accident with that kid she..."

"Accident?" the thief interrupted, unable to stop herself. "You murdered him."

The Joker shook his head back and forth in a dismissive gesture.

"Let's not argue _semantics_," he said, stepping forward and putting his face right up to the plastic wall, alternatively moving his head from side to side to look at Kim out of the corners of his eyes. "The _point_ is that it's still a problem between us. And we need to _confront_ that problem. But how can we do that if I'm in _here_..."

The Joker trailed off meaningfully, his eyes darting from the locked door to the Bat and back again. At first Kim didn't react, though Selina thought she say her hand twitch.

"I mean... isn't that the _healthy_ thing to do," the lunatic continued when Kim remained still. "Wouldn't it make you_ feel_ so much _better_ to have all that out in the open? All that pent up _frustration_ about that poor kid. That poor _dead_ kid."

The Joker grinned a little wider and the Bat's eyes actually shifted briefly toward the cage door.

"Crazy kid tryin' to play _vigilante_, gettin' caught off guard like that. But BOY, could he _glare_. He was starin' _holes_ in me right up until... well, y'know. If looks could kill, huh Bats?"

Kim's hands were almost shaking now and she kept glancing at the lock on the cage.

"Y'know what the real _funny_ thing is," the Joker asked quietly. "After all that _shouting_ he did about who he was and why he was doin' this..... I don't even remember his _name_."

The Bat's hand began to move.

"Was it... _Rolland_?"

The hand closed around the lock, but another hand caught it; stopping any further action. Kim looked down at Selina's hand on her wrist, pulling her own away from the cage door. The vigilante stepped back from the plastic holding cell, regarding the man inside.

He hadn't stopped grinning.

"Who was she, Joker?" Kim asked again, her voice back to it's usual steady growl.

The madman regarded the black clad woman with amusement while randomly glancing at Selina as well.

"Beats me," he finally said. "All she did was come in and ask me my name."

Selina noticed an immediate stiffening of muscles from Kim. All the intensity that had dissipated seconds ago came back in full force.

"WHAT name?"

"_My_ name, of course," the Joker replied happily. "I've only _got_ the one, you know."

Once again the Bat was right up in the madman's face, only the clear wall of his cell keeping them apart.

"She KNEW it?" Kim hissed, almost in a rage. "How?"

"I'm supposed to know?" the Joker asked lightly, seemingly perfectly content in the face of the Bat's anger. "She asked, so I _told_ her. She was VERY friendly, after all. And you _know_ how much I like to oblige my _friends_."

Kim held her death-glare on the Joker for a few moments longer before turning away and striding purposefully away from the cell.

"We're done here," she said coldly.

Selina followed after her, too shaken to ask any questions. They were out of the asylum and heading back to the car in minutes. Yet even as they roared back toward the manor, Selina couldn't get the Joker's parting laugh out of her ears. That howling cackle that seemed to drill itself into her head. So similar to the one from her nightmare.

-

-

-

_To be continued...._

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	7. Taking Sides

_HA! Remember me? Yeah, maybe not considering how long this thing's been on hiatus. Anyway, here's a brand new chapter for ya, and with any luck you won't have to wait nearly this long for another one._

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**Shadow of the Bat**

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Chapter 7 - Taking Sides

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Selina kept quiet for quite awhile as they drove through the city. The dark mood practically radiated off Kim in waves, and the thief found herself hesitant to break the silence. Eventually the car slowed and stopped, though not in front of the manor as Selina had expected.

"So," the thief said hesitantly, "What do we do now?"

Kim didn't answer right away, sitting perfectly still and just breathing for a minute or two.

"I figured we might not get anything useful from the Joker," she finally answered. "We'll have to try going directly to the source."

"The ninja?" Selina replied, arching an eyebrow. "How do you suppose to find her?"

"I don't. With any luck, she'll come to us."

With that, Kim climbed out of the car with Selina following close behind. They'd stopped on a winding road outside of town with a small hill on one side. Selina could make out an old cemetery a little ways away. Her black cape flowing out behind her, Kim made her way to the top of the hill to where an iron pole rose from the ground, whatever purpose it had once served long forgotten.

The vigilante crouched down nearby, fishing in the pouches of her belt to produce a length of wire and a couple rolls of fabric. She said nothing as she twisted and shaped the wire into some form Selina couldn't make out. The fabric was wrapped around the wire and then soaked in some liquid that smelled heavily of chemicals.

"What is that?" the thief finally asked, unable to contain her curiosity any longer. Kim grabbed one of the steel lines hanging from the pole and secured it to her structure. Then looping a line over the top, she hoisted the fabric wrapped frame to the top of the pole.

"My research into the Yamanouchi clan unearthed some of their traditions," Kim answered as she secured the line. "That," she pointed at the wire frame, "is the symbol for a gathering place. The ninja of the clan would scrawl it above the doors of wherever they were going to meet."

"She's not going to be fooled by that," Selina said, giving the Bat a skeptical look.

"Of course not. But hopefully it WILL make her curious enough to check it out. She's working against Fiske and she knows we are as well. I'm hoping that's enough to get her to talk to us."

Kim lit a match and flicked it upwards. It hit the wire frame, the chemicals in the cloth catching instantly. The Japanese character burned brightly at the top of the pole as Kim turned to look toward the city. She stood almost motionless beside the pole as Selina sat down nearby. And they waited.

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Selina was half-dozing when the Bat's gloved hand touched her shoulder gently. Instantly the thief was fully alert, pulling herself up to stand by Kim who was staring off toward the nearby cemetery. For awhile nothing happened. And then, finally, a shadow detached itself from the darkness and took a cautious step toward them.

"You use the mark of my clan," the ninja called to them. "How is it you know such things?"

"Research," the Bat answered shortly. "It's unimportant. I'm here to talk about the idols and your visits with the Joker."

"Why should I tell you?" the Japanese girl asked, watching Kim's movements intently.

"We're both working toward the same goal; to stop Fisk. I know it was you at the museum, I know about the visits to Arkham, and I know you're trying to keep the idols from Fiske."

The ninja spat a Japanese swear word in contempt.

"You know nothing," she growled back. "You do not know the power the idols hold or what will happen if 'Fiske' possesses them. He is more than you think he is."

"You mean Ra's al Ghul," Kim interrupted. "The Demon's Head?"

The ninja was struck speechless.

"How?" she stammered in a shocked tone.

"Like I said; research," the Bat replied, taking another careful step forward. "I _want_ to help. You say I don't understand. So MAKE me understand."

The ninja studied her critically for a few moments before finally nodding and pulling away her mask. It was indeed the same woman from the museum. Her dark hair was pulled back and slightly ruffled from being under the ninja's headpiece.

"My clan does not make a habit of telling outsiders our secrets," the girl said, fixing Kim with a meaningful stare. "But my mission has become complicated. Perhaps the opinion of a native may help me choose a course of action."

"You can count on our silence," Kim replied, gesturing to Selina who gave a corresponding nod.

"You are a protector," the ninja said to Kim. "I believe I can trust your word. And you," she continued, turning a little sharply to Selina, "have already tasted the Demon's betrayal. I will hope your loyalty will be given more wisely in the future."

She looked back and forth between the two for a moment before speaking again.

"My name is Yori," she began tentatively. "I am a member of the Yamanouchi; a clan of ninja tasked with the protection of a great secret. We wait for the coming of the one destined to bear this secret, and to aid them in their transition. That is the purpose of the idols. They unlock the powers of Son Goku, to be wielded by this chosen one."

"Son who?" Selina asked, confused.

"The Monkey King," Kim answered. "Sun Wukong in China. A character from Asian mythology."

"Son Goku is no myth," Yori replied quickly. "The idols are used to give the chosen one the power they need to wield our legacy. That is the power the Demon seeks for himself. The idols should only work on the one destined to hold the power, but Ra's al Ghul has found a way around that. If he succeeds in using the idols, he will then come for the legacy we guard, and his power will be strengthened ten-fold."

"What is this '_legacy_' you guard," Kim asked, but Yori only shook her head.

"THAT I will not say," she replied. "But the destined one HAS appeared. It was my mission to find him and the idols before the Demon. The second part, at least, has been partly successful. I took two of the idols from Ra's al Ghul while the thief has the rest. And I would be most appreciative if you would return them to me."

"We'll talk about that in a moment," the Bat said, stepping forward. "You still haven't explained why you were visiting the Joker."

"That is the other part of my mission," Yori answered. "And the source of my apprehension."

"You mean you think the Joker is this '_destined one_'," Selina asked, feeling rather silly for even uttering the phrase.

"This is not how it was supposed to be," Yori replied. "My visions told of a young man; kind and loy..."

"Well, he's not," Kim interrupted, her voice sharp and angry. "He's a dangerous lunatic. If you're smart you'll stay as far away from him as possible."

"You suggest I abandon my mission," Yori stated, beginning to sound angry herself. "My oath to my clan. You would have me dishonor myself by giving up?"

"I didn't say that," the Bat countered. "But the Joker isn't your answer. He's a mad dog and needs to be left alone, locked up where he belongs."

"But... my visions did not show him as this '_Joker_'," Yori said, sounding frustrated. "He was called..."

"HE'S NOT," the Bat roared. Pointing a finger at the ninja, Kim's voice dropped to a dangerous growl. "Fulfill your '_prophecy_' some other way. The Joker is off limits."

Yori had flinched at the Bat's sudden show of rage, but remained determined, glaring back at the vigilante.

"I will do my duty as I see fit," she shot back. In the blink of an eye she'd turned and bolted into the shadows of the cemetery. Cursing, Kim took off after her with Selina on her heels. The Bat's cape flapped wildly in front of the thief as Kim dodged through the tombstones. Selina could only follow her, unable to track Yori except for a few flashes of movement in the shadows ahead.

The cemetery wound along the the peak of the hill, spanning nearly the entire width. It was old and mostly deserted, the grounds seemingly packed with headstones and monuments. Nobody had been buried there for years. The far side of the cemetery's property ended abruptly in a steep cliff, a wrought iron fence surrounding the grounds with Gotham City laid out below. It was quite a view normally, but none of the three in the graveyard were in the mood to notice.

Selina caught sight of the ninja again, just as she vaulted herself over the fence. With barely a second's hesitation, Yori dove over the edge of the cliff. Kim was right behind her, leaping over the iron-work and following the ninja over the edge.

The thief was forced to a halt at the edge, watching as the two swung off into the forest of buildings. Her whip wasn't as long or versatile as the other two women's grapple lines, and Selina wasn't about to risk her life by chancing it. Kicking at the grass in frustration, she turned back and walked back to the car. Figuring she'd be forced to wait for Kim's return, the thief flopped into the passenger's seat to sulk.

_"Selina Goh?"_

Selina jumped a bit as a voice issued from the car's dashboard.

"Who is that?" she asked hesitantly.

_"I'm a friend of the Bat's. She radioed in and said you'd be needing a lift back to the manor."_

"Is this the same _'friend'_ who got us into Arkham?"

_"Exactly,"_ the woman answered, a hint of a smile in her voice. _"And before you ask, I can't say anymore. Just follow my instructions and I'll have you back at the manor in no time."_

The no-nonsense tone in her voice convinced Selina that pushing for information from the woman would be futile, so she slid over to the driver's seat and did as she was told. The _'friend'_ gave her a quick walk-through on how to drive the large, black car. It really wasn't much different from a normal one, once you knew how to get the thing started, and Selina was actually quite enjoying the drive back to Kim's. A car that powerful could be addictive. Of course the woman on the radio made sure to tell her that she could track where the thief was going, so there were no detours on the trip back. Thankfully though, she didn't chastise Selina for going a little faster than maybe she should and taking some of the turns a little sharper than was necessary.

The thief was eventually guided through a hidden entrance and back into the cave where she was told where to park and how to shut the car down properly. 'Radio-Lady' said a short good-bye before signing off. Sighing, Selina pulled herself out of the car to find Alfred waiting for her.

"Good evening Miss," he greeted her. "Will you be heading upstairs?"

"No thanks," Selina answered after a second's pause. "I think I'll wait down here for awhile."

"Very well," the butler nodded. "Can I get you anything before I turn in?"

"No, thank you Alfred."

"Goodnight then, Miss Goh."

"Goodnight Alfred."

The old servant headed up the stairs, leaving Selina alone in the cave. The thief made sure the door had closed completely before walking over and sitting down in the cushioned chair in front of the main computer. The archives were still up, making it much easier for her. Entering 'Joker' into the name field pulled up a photo of the creepy-looking maniac. Selina stared at the ghoulish smile for a few seconds before shivering and moving on to his profile.

There wasn't much there that was new. A detailed listing of all the charges against him was eye-wideningly long, but other than that it was pretty much what she'd gotten already. However, there was a small _'Addendum'_ file linked at the bottom that refused to open for her. A pop-up informed her that it was classified and required further clearance to access.

"Figures," the thief grumbled irritably, closing the profile and leaning back into the chair. She sat there, rocking lazily on the chair's swivel base, unsure what she wanted to do next. Before she could come to any decision, the cushions of the chair proved too comfortable for her and she dozed off.

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Selina wasn't sure how long she slept, but she finally drifted back to consciousness to a steady thumping sound. Groggily sitting up in the chair, the thief looked around the cave for the source of the sound. Her eyes eventually fell on Kim standing a little ways off on a padded mat.

She'd already changed out of her costume, now wearing a simple tank top and some sweatpants as she pounded methodically at a punching bag. Selina slid out of the chair and walked over, seating herself on a nearby weight bench as she watched the red-head. Kim must have been there a little while already. Selina could see sweat running down the back of her neck and beading in her buzzed hair.

"Did you catch her?" the thief finally asked after a few minutes of silence.

"No." She didn't pause in her relentless blows to the bag.

Selina paused again, weighing her next question in her mind.

"What aren't you telling me?" she eventually asked.

"About what?" Kim replied in a stony tone.

"About the Joker."

That got a reaction. The jabs at the punching bag stopped abruptly, but the millionaire would still not turn around.

"You've already heard about him," she said, though it rung hollow to both their ears.

"Don't treat me like an idiot," Selina shot back, letting a little anger creep into her voice. "There's obviously something you're keeping from me. Why is part of his file locked and why were you so ticked about that ninja girl knowing his name?"

Kim would not answer. She stood stock still in front of the bag until Selina finally gave up and turned to leave.

"Selina."

Kim's voice stopped her. It sounded softer, almost unsure. Selina hadn't heard the red-head's voice sound like that since the night of the opera. Her anger was put on hold as she turned back and listened.

"Do... do you consider yourself a criminal?"

The thief was a little surprised by the question. She actually had to stop and think about it for a few moments. DID she consider herself a criminal? She'd never really thought about it before, but...

"Yes. I suppose so," she answered, adding a second later, "but I don't consider myself a bad person."

"How do you figure that?" Kim asked, her voice getting a little harder, but still not as hard as the Bat's voice.

"A criminal is just someone who breaks the law," Selina replied. "And that's a very broad field. Robin Hood could be called a criminal. Hell, you and Commissioner Barkin are technically criminals. Vigilantism IS illegal and he's aiding and abetting you."

"And you compare what we do to your common thievery?" the red-head growled, actual anger coloring her tone.

"I don't make any excuses for myself," Selina snapped right back. "My life is what it is. I'll let others worry about judging me for it."

Silence fell again, the two women just standing there as the tense atmosphere slowly drained from the air.

"So why do you do it?" Kim asked, breaking the silence after they'd both calmed down a bit.

"To begin with?" Selina replied, shrugging a little. "Back then it was just a way to survive. Now though.... I just like it. I'm not hurting anyone."

"You're a THIEF," the red-head growled, finally turning to face her. "You're STEALING things that don't belong to you."

"From who?" the thief shot back. "Millionaires and upper-crust snobs. The only thing that gets hurt is their pride."

"So you think what you do is just fine?"

"I'm saying that the world isn't black and white," Selina answered.

Kim took a few steps forward, her eyes hard and glaring.

"I've heard that argument before," she said in a low voice. "But people tend to forget one thing. Without black and white everything would be gray, and you'd be blind."

Selina had no answer to this, watching as Kim turned back around and moved away. She stopped after a few steps, the tenseness in her shoulders suddenly draining away with a heavy sigh. Selina was suddenly reminded of how tired and beaten down Kim had looked that day at the piano.

"So... how do you know?" Kim said, her voice sounding weary and almost pleading. "If it's all gray, how do you decide which criminals to punish?"

Selina almost said, _'the ones that actually hurt people'_, but stopped herself. It wouldn't be the truth and she knew it. If her excuse was valid, where DID one stop? What about the man who shoots someone and takes their money because he can't feed his family? Should he be let off? What about the police and security guards she'd taken down over the course of her career? Sure, she never killed anyone, but was that enough for her to say she didn't deserve to be punished?

"I don't know."

It was the truth. She didn't know. Much of her life had been lived on a reactionary basis, doing what she wanted simply because she wanted to.

"Yeah... that's the problem," Kim smiled dryly. "Do... do you think someone could change?" she added after a minute of silence. "Could YOU change if you had reason to?"

"I.... I honestly couldn't say."

Again; the truth. The thrill and rewards of burglary were so much a part of her life, Selina wasn't sure that she COULD stop if she tried. Probably not the best thing to tell a crime-fighting vigilante, but something in Kim's voice made Selina _want_ to tell her the truth.

Kim nodded and began to unwrap her hands.

"There's a party tomorrow night," she said after a moment. "Friends and business partners. I thought you might want to come along."

"Sure," Selina answered simply. "Sounds good."

Kim nodded again and Selina took that as the end of the conversation. Yet as she turned to leave, Kim's voice stopped her again.

"Selina, I..." the millionaire called over her shoulder, though she did not look at the thief. "Listen... making you think I was.... that we might.... well, maybe I went too far. I just wanted to... apologize."

The thief wanted to say that there was no 'maybe' about it, but in all honesty she couldn't. After all, she'd just said she considered herself a criminal. You couldn't really throw out all rules and considerations and still expect everyone else to adhere to them.

"Yeah, sure," she finally said. "No problem." It didn't sound completely genuine and she knew it, but she didn't want anymore arguments tonight.

"Goodnight Kim."

The red-head nodded, finally turning around to watch as Selina walked away.

"Goodnight Selina."

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Fiske stood before a large window in the sitting room of his mansion. He'd had it built upon his arrival in Gotham. The tower was fine, but he needed someplace out of the city; somewhere he could get away to. Gotham was the type of city that got under one's fingernails and stained the skin like cigarette smoke. Once he had the power to fix the world, places like this wouldn't exist.

His musings were interrupted by Slade entering. The mercenary stood silently behind him until Fiske acknowledged his presence.

"Is Mr. Moss settled?"

"He's staying put, but he's not happy about it," Wilson answered. "I still think it's a mistake to keep him around at all. He's a wild animal. Unpredictable and untrustworthy."

"Noted," Fiske replied with a simple nod of his head. "But for the moment he's also very useful. Not to call your own considerable talents into question Mr. Wilson, but when taking on such foes as our dear Dark Knight, it pays to have an extra something in your corner."

Slade didn't answer. He'd voiced his opinion, but Fiske was forking over the cash so he made the rules. Not that it bothered Slade too much. He was pretty sure he could handle Croc if the freak got out of hand.

"Don't worry about our scaly friend, Mr. Wilson. The sooner we get those idols, the sooner Mr. Moss' services will no longer be required."

"My contacts have turned up nothing on the location of that ninja or Catwoman. What do you plan to do?"

Fiske took a long, relaxed sip of his wine before answering.

"Nothing just yet," he finally replied. "The thief has two of the idols while the Yamanouchi has the others. If either wants to obtain them all, they will have to come out of hiding to find each other."

"What if they decide to work together? Goh would be pretty willing to give up a couple old statues for a chance at revenge. Not to mention she escaped with the Bat. She'd have even more reason to hook up with the ninja."

Fiske smiled.

"Even so," he explained, "they'd still have to come out of hiding to get to me. If the Bat is involved, I expect we'll see something soon. Something to try and bait us into action."

"And will we fall for it?" Slade asked.

"Oh, of course we will. How could we pass up the opportunity," Fiske chuckled. "Mark my words, Mr. Slade. A little patience and our enemies will come to us."

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As Selina came downstairs the next morning, she was greeted by the aroma of breakfast. Kim was waiting for her in the dining room where Alfred served up a delicious omelet with Belgian waffles. The two of them were silent as they ate, Selina not wishing to break the comfortable morning feeling. The sunrise shone through the tall windows, warming the room and eliciting a strange sense of contentment in the thief.

"The party starts at eight," Kim finally said, breaking the silence as Alfred collected their dishes. "We'd better arrive separately, just in case."

"You think Fiske will be there?"

"No, I don't think so," Kim replied. "But I'd be surprised if he wasn't watching. He's managed to build himself quite an information network."

"Why should I go then?" Selina asked. "If you think he's watching for me, shouldn't I keep my head down?"

"Unfortunately that's not an option," the millionaire answered. "We have three sides in this thing. Us, the ninja, and Fiske; and at the moment, we're all at a stalemate."

"We've got two statues, the ninja has the rest, and Fiske is waiting with Wilson and his pet monster for one of us to make a move," Selina clarified, getting an affirming nod from Kim.

"I'm afraid time is against us as well," the red-head added. "The ninja, Yori; I'm not sure how far she'll go for this prophecy of hers, and I'd rather not find out. We need to get things rolling again, and it's better if we start it on our terms."

"Okay, so I show up at the party to poke the hornet nest," Selina shrugged. "Should I get the idols and bring them here?"

"No," Kim answered immediately. "Better to leave them where they are for now. I assume they're at the Gotham City Bank? Something to do with the safety deposit box you rented?"

Selina looked up at her sharply.

"How did you... oh, yeah. The tracking device." The thief couldn't stop the faint bitter tone that laced her voice.

"Yes," Kim answered, not seeming to notice, "but I'm sure you didn't simply put them in the box."

"Of course not," Selina replied. "I rented the box so I could check out the security. Then I broke in later and slipped the idols into an unused box in a separate part of the vault. I put a few valuables I had on hand into my box, just so it wasn't immediately apparent that it was a decoy."

"Good," Kim nodded. "I'll take care of those later."

Selina almost shot back with a comment of her own, but refrained in hopes of preserving the pseudo-truce they seemed to have established last night. Still, the way the woman had said it; matter-of-factly, as though Selina had no say in the matter. It just rubbed her the wrong way.

"Fiske will know your appearance at the party is a trap," Kim continued, standing up to walk over to the window. "But he'll take the bait anyway. We just have to be better prepared than he is."

Selina rose from the table as well, watching the red-head as she looked out the window. The thief could almost see the gears turning in the millionaire's mind. In fact, that seemed to be her normal state; plotting, planning, scheming.

"You never stop, do you?" Selina asked, walking slowly over to stand behind Kim. "Never relax? Never take the time to enjoy your life?"

"This IS my life," the red-head replied, her voice hard.

"That's... one of the saddest things I've ever heard," the thief said softly, her hands coming up to rest on Kim's shoulders.

"You think it's sad that I try to help people?" Kim asked coldly. Selina felt the red-head's muscles stiffen under her hands, but she didn't push the thief away.

"No," Selina answered, her arms slowly sliding around until she was hugging the millionaire from behind, her chin resting on Kim's shoulder. "Sad that you help everyone but yourself."

"I don't have the time," Kim shot back.

"I do," Selina almost whispered. The millionaire hadn't put on one of her wigs yet and Selina slowly rubbed her face along the side of Kim's, feeling the soft fuzz of her red hair slide along her cheek. "I could help you."

Kim did react then, though still not angrily. She simply stepped away from the thief and walked calmly out of the room. Selina thought she saw the red-head's hand come up to touch her face as she exited, but the thief couldn't be sure.

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Yori was also watching the sunrise. Sitting on the edge of a roof, legs crossed under her as she meditated. Everything had become so complicated upon her arrival in Gotham. She felt adrift and alone, wishing with all her might that Sensei was here to counsel her.

_--"Remember your training and trust in your skill and you will have nothing to fear." -- _

Her old teacher's words floated through her mind, making the ninja nod slightly to herself. Taking a deep breath, Yori focused her mind, reaching out to that place in her where the visions came from. The visions had started coming to her when she was a young child; frightening at first, but Sensei had taught her to control and learn from them. It was in these visions that she first saw the coming fulfillment of the prophecy. The visions had given her glimpses of the Chosen One, and formed the bond she had used to track him down.

Now she needed their guidance again. Reaching further and further into her mind's eye.

_Please. Please, I need help._

Then a room flashed in her mind. She saw herself there. Another flash showed the Chosen One standing in the middle of the idols. Another flash and she was in a battle. The Demon was there and she could see blood. Was it his blood? She couldn't be sure.

As quickly as they'd come, the visions were gone. Yori opened her eyes and stared toward the rising sun. The visions hadn't told her everything, but she now knew what course of action she would take. Even though it may mean her death.

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Selina pulled up to the lavish hotel where the party was being held, letting one of the men at the door park the car Kim had given her. She paused at the doorway, the gathering already in full swing, craning her neck as she searched for a familiar face in the crowd.

She caught Felix's eye, the young man pausing in his conversation to give her a friendly wave. The thief finally caught sight of Kim just as the millionaire spotted her and started over.

"Selina," she cried happily, smile as wide as could be. "I'm SO glad you could make it. Come on, I'll introduce you to some people."

The thief allowed herself to be pulled along by her hand, marveling at how Kim could slip so easily into this persona; nearly the polar opposite of who she was at home. Her footsteps were light and bouncy, her shoulders back and her head high. It was almost impossible to associate her with the cold, brooding crime fighter she'd spent the last two days with.

"You already know Felix of course," Kim was saying, drawing another wave from the man. "And this is Duff Killigan, golf tycoon. He's looking to spread his franchise into mainstream America."

"Aye, if ye'd git yerself in gear and sell me tha' land I'm after," the large man called after them, laughing good naturally.

"There's Commissioner Barkin over there," she pointed across the room, adding more quietly, "He actually hates these things, but accepts anyway cause of all the donations I make to the police."

"Kim!"

A shout drew the millionaire's attention and she changed direction, dragging Selina over toward one corner of the large room.

"And this is Monique Fox," she smiled, gesturing to the woman who'd shouted at them. "She's the one that makes sure my billions don't disappear overnight."

"Oh please," her friend replied, giving Kim a playful slap on the shoulder. "I could stop making you money this second and you'd STILL never be able to spend it all."

Monique turned to smile at Selina, her white teeth standing out against the rich chocolate color of her skin. Unlike most of the other women at the party she wore a stylish, yet still sensible, suit jacket and skirt instead of a gown. Her dark, wavy hair was pulled up into a carefully casual looking ponytail. In fact, everything about her seemed to radiate a certain understated class. A fashion model's heart with a businessman's brain.

"It's certainly nice to meet YOU Miss Goh," Monique said as she shook Selina's hand. Fox had one powerful handshake. "Felix told me about meeting you at Victor's opening and the next thing I know you're spending the night at the manor."

"Monique..." Kim muttered warningly.

"What?" Monique asked with mock confusion. "I'm just trying to look out for my best friend's well being. Wouldn't want you falling victim to some dastardly fortune hunter, would we?"

Any insult Monique's comment might have carried was quickly dispelled by the mischievous smirk she shot Selina as she was talking. Kim's friend obviously had a wicked sense of humor and Selina found herself taking an immediate liking to the woman.

"Believe me, I wasn't trying anything," the thief replied, playing along. "I didn't even know Kim swung that way."

"I _don't_," the red-head almost pouted. "I'm still dating Brick, you know."

"Oh, I know," Monique nodded. "For about a month now. That's almost a new record for you, isn't it?"

"Fine. If all you're going to do is make fun of me, I'M going over and talking to Duff," Kim answered. "Maybe I'll agree to sell him my land. At HALF price."

Monique put a hand to her chest, feigning injury.

"Girl, don't even JOKE about that."

Selina laughed along with her, enjoying the friendly banter even though in the back of her mind, she knew it was partly acting on Kim's part. Monique proved to be just as smart and engaging as she'd first appeared. Selina spent most of her time talking with her, taking a few breaks to dance with some others Kim introduced her to, including Duff Killigan. The large Scotsman was a jovial man with a booming laugh and a sense of humor that would be more at home in the local pub than in a high-class place like this. Not that it seemed to bother him or anyone else as his laugh was quite infectious.

The evening wore on and Selina had just finished another dance when she spotted Kim slipping outside onto the large balcony. The thief scooped up another drink before following after her.

"Needed a breath of fresh air?" Selina called as she closed the windowed doors behind her.

Kim nodded slightly, only half-turning her head toward the thief.

"It gets.... noisy after awhile," she replied, letting her facade slip a little.

"Well, you certainly play the part well," Selina said, walking up to stand beside her. "Kinda hard to believe it's all just an act."

Kim smiled softly, chuckling a little under her breath.

"That's what Alfred always says."

The two lapsed into silence for awhile, something Selina noticed they tended to do quite often, taking in the view from the balcony. The city was nothing more than a mass of black silhouettes surrounding the hotel, lighted windows mirroring the stars that twinkled in the sky overhead. Selina could almost fool herself into calling Gotham peaceful.

"Kim," the thief finally spoke. "I... I know you said.."

But Selina was cut off by a sound rising up from the distance. It started low, but quickly built to a distant wail. Beside her, Kim's entire body suddenly tensed up.

"What?" Selina asked, turning to the red-head. "What is it?"

"It's the siren at Arkham," Kim said softly, her voice distant and cold. "There's been a breakout."

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* * *

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Yori stood on the rocky shore of the lake that nearly surrounded Arkham. She shivered slightly, partly because of the crisp breeze coming off the water and partly because of the man standing a few feet in front of her. The Joker stood facing the city across the lake, his arms outstretched as though basking in the sight of it. The straps of his straight jacket dangled from his sleeves, but he noticed them no more than his bare feet on the cold, wet rocks.

"We must get going," Yori said after a little. "Please, you must understand the importance of this. If the Demon succeeds, the terror he will inflict on the world will be unimaginable."

"HIS terror?" the Joker chuckled, opening his eyes to look off toward Gotham. "Wait'll they get a load of ME."

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_To be continued...._

_Reviews, as always, are greatly appreciated.  
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